there's a million&one ways
by byebye-babeh
Summary: sometimes we lie to protect those we love most. screamer/annabelle lennox vs. ironhide/annabelle lennox
1. PART I: resuscitation

_**there's a million**__&__**one ways**_

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**A/N: **this is the first story that i've attempted to write all the way through. it's also the first story that i've posted on here. :x which is a huge step for me since i don't generally post stories that i write _or_ finish writing them. so we'll see where this goes, lol. :3 also, i would love some criticism about the story because i really want to improve with my writing.

**EDIT:** I am currently going back and revising a few of the early chapters. Nothing in the plot has changed . . . I just can't stand to look back at their ickiness. So bare with me as I update them.

******Genres:** Romance, suspense, hurt/comfort, angst, mystery, family

******Summary:** Annabelle Lennox (child of NEST Major William Lennox) and her two friends (Sunstreaker and Sideswipe) thought it would be another pleasant afternoon for paintball, but soon enough their fun heads south when Annabelle discovers Starscream in suspended animation. The decepticon is brought to the autobots base where he is held prisoner. During his stay, the seeker meets the vibrant and fiery Annabelle. His troubles deepen when Ironhide threatens to kill him should he so much as pluck a hair from Annabelle's head. It seemed simple enough to follow Ironhide's rule until . . . he had his first conversation with the human. Now in over his head, Starscream finds himself wanting the human to keep him entertain while at the autobots' base. But what was supposed to be a temporary (and conditional) assistance quickly turns into a need for survival . . . Through trials that neither side could have calculated, they will face the illusion their lies have created, and only through bloodshed and love will they begin to unravel and destroy the monster they (both Autobot and Decepticon) created. But what lay at the end of this tangled fishing line is a reality that no Cybertronian is ready to face.

**Pairings:** Annabelle L. - Starscream, Annabelle L. - Ironhide, Chromia - Ironhide, Elita One - Optimus Prime, Jazz - Prowl, Judy W. - Ronald W., Mikaela B. - Samuel W., Sarah L. - Major William L.

**Disclaimer: **Transformers and all related characters and items © Hasbro.

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_**Part One:** _Resuscitation

_"All happy families resemble one another; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."_ – Count Leo Tolstoy

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"Bye mom!" called out Annabelle as she raced down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" asked Sarah as she came out form the kitchen. In her left hand she held Duke's navy blue dog bowl. Following closely behind Sarah was a german shepherd mix who's only focus was the puppy food in the bowl.

Annabelle sighed as she stopped to look at her mother. "I'm just going out with the guys, Mom," she explained casually. She rested her right hand on the door's hand. The young human's fingers curled eagerly around the brass handle.

"In those clothes?" Sarah asked skeptically. Her mother looked at her daughter, inspecting her with a critical eye. Anna wore an old pair of ratted jeans, along with a pair of All star black converse; which looked ready for the morgue. Sarah shook her head as she let her eyes meander to the top Annabelle had chosen to wear. It was the old, faded zebra-striped tank top that she had bought for her several years ago. Underneath the tank top was an equally deterrorated black cami. Sarah rolled her gray eyes disapprovingly. "You couldn't have chosen something for suitable?"

"We're playing paintball," Anna justified. Underneath the warm tone of her voice was an edge of irritation. "Now can I go?" The young woman begged her mother with sad, child-like eyes.

With a sigh, Sarah closed her eyes; she always found it hard to tell Annabelle no when she used her blue eyes against her. "Just be careful," she stated, giving into her daughter. Sarah managed a worrisome smile. "I just don't want anything bad to happen."

Running up to Sarah, she kissed her mom on the cheek. "Thanks, Mom," Annabelle said quickly. The teen rushed towards the door, and disappeared as she slammed the cherry oak door shut.

Returning to the kitchen, Sarah placed the food down for a begging Duke. She ran her nervous fingers through her neck-length, blonde hair. From the window in front of her sink, she watched as two Ferraris – a red and yellow one – sped up towards the house. A trail of dust clouds hovered behind them. In unison they came to a skidding stop over the dirt driveway. Both sport cars played 'Burn It to the Ground' by Nickleback obnoxiously loud like twenty-one year-old ferternity boys. She watched with a hawk's eye as Annabelle hopped into passenger seat of Sideswipe. To her dismay, she saw Sideswipe's human hologram placed an arm around her daughter. She didn't know if it was Sideswipe putting his holographic arm around her daughter, or how Annabelle pretended to snuggle up to the red-headed hologram (as if it were a real human) that bothered her more. Biting her lip, Sarah watched as her daughter drove off with the twins. She left the kitchen with an uneasy feeling and headed towards the porch. She crossed her arms as she watched them drive out of view.

As if on cue, Ironhide rolled up to the porch. His vehicular mode, as usual, was covered in a thin lining of dirt. On passenger door was written "i need to learn to wash myself!!!" in Anna's pristine handwriting. From his review mirror hung pink, fuzzy dice that his human had put on him one late night two summers ago. Sarah looked over at her friend, glad that he decided to join her. She had grown use to talking with him over the years; so much so, that she didn't know whom she would talk to if it wasn't for him. Sarah casually leaned against the white support beam. "Do you ever think we made the wrong decision by letting her grow up among your kind?" asked Sarah. She looked over at the truck with a depressed facial expression.

"They're just kids, Sarah," Ironhide said, trying to comfort his human friend.

"I know, but I still worry if she isn't spending too much time with them," She replied. Sarah pushed a few stray strands of blonde hair behind her ear. "Sometimes I think she forgets they're not human."

He regaurded what she said thoughtfully. "I've thought the same thing," the old 'bot answered. "And I think the twins forget she's not one of us either." Ironhide paused, trying to think of what to say to put her worries to ease. He didn't want Sarah's worries about her offspring to age her any faster, nor did he want her to feed her negative emotions into her paranoia about Annabelle's lifestyle. "Annabelle is a good human, Sarah," he added confidently. "She's headstrong and knows where she's going in life. There's not much she won't be able to accomplish."

Sarah didn't respond as quickly as Ironhide would have liked. Instead she let her eyes drift to the swaying evergreens. Oh, how much she wished she could live such a care-free life as the trees. "I'm just worried of how she'll function in the real world," she confessed. "Besides a few school friends, she really doesn't have any true human friends like I did when I was her age." The woman exhaled a deep breath. "And every relationship she's had with a boy has never lasted; though, I think Will is glad of that."

"Annabelle doesn't need a boy, Sarah," the autobot said. "She's too independent in my opinion. Besides, she'll have her whole human life to find someone like Will."

"But what if she doesn't find someone like Will? And it's all because of being raised with talking robots?" Sarah stared worryingly in Ironhide's direction. "I just want the best for her, Ironhide. I want her to experience the same joys that I've been able to experience, like parenthood. I want to have grandchildren down the road."

"Then I guess you and Will better have another kid if you want to have grand kids," Ironhide joked. "I don't think Annabelle will be the type to have kids. She's too self-absorbed."

Sarah stifled a laugh and smiled at the old 'bot. He said some of the funniest, but trueest statements at times. The human opened the screen door to let a whining Duke out. The dog immediately circled around Sarah, wagging his tail excitingly at her presence. "But who am I to tell her who she can and can't hang around," she spoke. She bent down and gently scratch the top of his head. "It won't matter in a few years since she'll be off in college . . . away from all of this."

"And she'll grow up soon enough, Sarah," he added sadly. "She's already growing up so quickly. Just a few orbital cycles ago she was a infant." Ironhide's voice faded as he searched his memory chip for images of a younger Annabelle. Clips of his young Annabelle running along this very driveway filled his spark with content. The mech could hear with perfect as her bare feet would go pitter patter along the ground. In hand Anna would hold a pale full of rocks that she claimed were rare valuables. The autobot sighed as the clips ended. How he missed the days when Anna spent her time with him instead of the twins. And as she had grown older, the farther and farther apart those days spent together alone grew. He turned on his radio. "I'll go make sure nothing interferes with her growing up," Ironhide spoke.

"Thank you," Sarah replied. "I greatly appreciate it."

The sound of his engines roaring to life attracted Duke's attention as he came trotting out of the porch with a happy little smile on his lips. Ironhide opened the passenger door, and the dog jumped in without any hesitation. Ironhide closed the door behind the dog, before rolling down the window for Duke to stick his head out in the wind. As they began to drive away, Ironhide turned the volume up and played his favorite country music on XM radio. He hummed along to the music, glad that he now had a real excuse to go check up on Anna.

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"What is this place?" Anna asked as Sideswipe drove down an abandoned road. She leaned out the window, eager to catch a better look at the cluster of buildings Her vivid blue eyes curiously scanned the dilapidated establishments. The radio tower towered the other buildings in height as it overlooked the long, torn up runway strips. To the far west of the base was a small, heavily protected building made entirely of cement. Its purpose was none other than to have served as a bomb shelter should the Soviet Union had fired a missile. The style of the base's construction was an obvious trademark from the Cold War era.

Sunstreaker roared his engine as he maneuvered closer to his brother's passenger side. Anna had a cheesy smile smeared across face, and Sunstreaker's hologram flashed her a mischievous glimmer in his tourquoise eyes. His hologram removed his hands from the steering wheel and leaned against the car door's empty window space. The erratic wind blew through his mop of blonde hair; which only made him appear even more devilishly handsome. "I found it a couple days ago when me and my bro were on patrol duty," he boasted.

"You?!" questioned Sideswipe. The nearly identical hologram let go of the wheel, and tried to cram himself around Annabelle without ruining his illusion. He placed one hand on the dashboard, and another on the back of the seat. He narrowed his predatory torquoise eyes threateningly on his brother. "I found it, and you know it!"

He rolled his eyes dramatically. "As if," Sunstreaker retorted, half laughing. "You can barely find your hockey stick."

Anna pounded her fist against the car door to grab their attention. "Guys!" she shouted, trying to stop their argument before it could get out of control. The human didn't want a repeat from three weeks ago; where Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had gotten themselves into a physical fight. "I don't care who the hell found it. Kay?"

"Shit, someone's PMSing," Sunstreaker huffed. He recoiled as Anna tried to punch him without falling out from the window. His human illusion placed his hands securely on the steering wheel, trying to act as if he had done nothing wrong.

"Well, I'm a girl so I have an excuse. What yours?" Anna snapped bitterly.

"You just got burned," Sideswipe snickered. He backed away when Annabelle bent around to glower at him. He looked submissively straight ahead "And by a girl. "

He frowned. "Oh, shut up," he mumbled grumpily.

She huffed, before slamming her back into the back of the seat. The human folded her arms irritably across her chest. This was not how she wanted to start her afternoon. She pressed her chin to the top of her chest. Anna hoped this was not an omen as to how the afternoon with the twins would turn out. "So I take it, this place is abandoned?" Annabelle asked coolly.

"Damn right," the twins said in unison.

"I did research on this place, and it was closed down during Bill Clinton's administration," Sideswipe said smugly. "Hasn't been active since then."

Annabelle smiled brightly at Sideswipe. "I'm so proud of you!" she said sarcastically. "You did your homework for once!"

"Told you she'd be proud of me," bragged Sideswipe.

"Shut up," replied his twin in an irritated voice. "You don't need to act like such a hot shot; especially when you aren't a hot shot."

"Look who's talking," the human answered, slightly laughing.

The twins rolled through the open gate and came to a silent stop in front of the main building. Sunstreaker popped his trunk open; which contained Anna's gun, ammo, and 'gonna kick your ass' white Nike sport sunglasses. Hoping out of Sideswipe, she took her black hair tie, and put her unruly, shoulder-blade length blonde hair into a loose pony tail. Anna walked over to Sunstreaker while Sideswipe transformed. She put on her sunglasses first before grabbing her weapon and ammo. The trunk shut by itself as the yellow Ferrari transformed giant robot. Sunstreaker swerved on his tires around Anna gracefully as he straightened himself. His red twin mirrored his moves. Sunstreaker raised his gun, and aimed it at his brother.

Anna rolled her eyes at the yellow mech's antics, and noticed that he had replaced his favorite plasma fueled weapon for his paint-ball gun. She then glanced at Sideswipe, whom as well, had traded in his gun for a matching paintball gun. "Two minute till we start the massacre?" Anna asked.

"Sounds good to me," Sunstreaker replied nonchalantly.

She smiled competively. "Then I wish you two the best of luck," she said calmly. "Because you'll need it if you want to beat me." She pointed to herself proudly. The competitive edge of to her voice left an ominous silence in its wake. The twins glanced unsurely at each. Annabelle was nothing but a better, more complete version of Ironhide's tactics and Sideswipe's dirty maneuvers; and the extra glimmer in her eye came from her determination to dominate the unruly autobot twins.

Sideswipe rolled backwards, out of Annabelle's path. The red mech hated the air of arrogance that surrounded the five foot two inches tall, lightly sun-kissed human. He glowered in her direction, but Anna ignorantly ignored his behavior. She was determined to make him pay for his insubortinence with shame.

Annabelle quietly tiptoed in the shadows of the buildings, clutching onto her weapon as tightly as humanly possible. Looking down at herself, she smirked in satisfaction that she had only sustained six direct shots. The two yellow marks had come Sunstreaker, and the other four red splatters from his twin. Being small had it advantages, and she was sure to exploit it to its full potential.

Anna jerked her head up at the familiar sound of a metal foot rolling over the dry ground reached her ears. She stopped at the corner of the building and whipped her head around the corner. The dark shadow of one of the twins crept closer with each step. Annabelle pulled her gun close to her chest. She placed her index finger on the trigger. _'Time to put him out of his misery,_' she thought to herself. Anna pressed her head to the side of the building. _'3 . . . 2 . . . 1.'_

She charged out of the shadows and into the daylight. She temporarily blinded by the direct sunlight. Pulling on the trigger, she fired three consecutive shots at her target. The sound of the tiny, fluid filled missiles popping, brought a smile to her face. Annabelle stopped abruptly to analyze her work. Of her three shots, one had landed on his shoulder, another on his left thigh, and the last one directly over his spark chamber. "You are so dead," Annabelle boasted as she lowered her gun.

He scowled at the human. "Am not," protested Sunstreaker. He raised his gun.

She narrowed her eyes. "Are too," she retorted. "I hit you in the spark." Using her gun, the human pointed to the purple splashes on his chest. "In a real fight, you'd be deader than the deer head in our living room."

"If you say so," the Autobot sneered. With a roll of his optics, he fired a direct shot at Annabelle's chest.

Taking a step back, the human glowered at the cheating 'bot with a fury only a female could know. "You asshole," she shouted before firing her last six shots at his optics, but her shots missed terribly. Only two of them managed to hit the top of his helm . . . the others had missed him entirely.

Sunstreaker laughed at Annabelle as she continued to pull on the trigger without luck, as if more ammo would spontaneously appear. "At least I'm not out of ammo," he replied smugly.

"To bad you can't shoot shit, slag," the human taunted. Dropping her gun, she ran towards Sunstreaker as he began to fire at her. She winced at the sting of each paintball splattering against her skin. She bit down on her tongue and forced herself to run faster. Annabelle began to sprint as she ran underneath his legs towards the compounds.

"Two for one! Must be my lucky day!" called out an excited Sideswipe. The energenic mech slid around the corner of a building. He smiled brightly, even maliciously. He began to fire red paintballs at both of them. Sideswipe's aim fell short, and his paintballs only nipped Annabelle's heels. The other read paintballs splashed onto his brother's chest.

He growled, hating how the red paintballs were ruining his paintjob. "Don't start bragging too son, bro," snapped Sunstreaker. He turned his attention to his brother. The Autobot unleashed a shower of yellow paintballs at his brother.

Annabelle continued to run towards the compounds. She cursed as she had broken Ironhide's number one rule when fighting: never, ever run out of ammo. Now she was paying the price by having to run like a coward. 'What a loser,' Annabelle scathed. _'Should've thought ahead.'_ She looked upwards to break away from her thoughts. She was running out of compounds to choose from. '_Dammit,'_ she cursed. Annabelle made a left turn and opened the nearest door. Slamming it shut, she pressed her back to the door as she slid down, leaving a fresh trail of yellow, red, and orange paint on the door. She closed her eyes, enjoying the relief from the hot afternoon sun. Her skin stung from the paintball's impacts, and several of the impacts were beginning to bruise her skin. Still, there was silence, and relief from the twins' obnoxious, yet funny behavior.

With a deep sigh, she forced herself to open her eyes. Annabelle was shocked that she hadn't notice the light when she barged into the compound. She looked up at the ceiling to see a large chuck of the ceiling missing. Annabelle's eyes widened as she followed the path of the sunlight. She held her breath, too afraid to ruin the unbelievable moment she found herself in. "Oh, my god," she managed to say at last.

Annabelle wearily stood up and jogged towards it. She jumped into the air as she step on top of what sounded like glass or metal. Looking back, she noticed a small pile of ebony, highly reflective objects. The human knelt down and picked up a small black piece. Its black surface glimmered like a diamond in the sun; it even felt as smooth as a polished diamond. Her gray blue eyes scanned over the shard. She tilted her head to the left as she began to read the familiar symbols. She traced her fingers over the engravings. "Vec - tor," she pronounced slowly as she read. "Pr - ime. Vector Prime? Who the hell is Vector Prime?"

After putting the piece in her pocket, the human continued to go through the small pile of fragments. She spread them out in front of her, admiring each one for its own all contained symbols to the Cybertronian language; some of which she understood, but most she didn't have an idea what they meant. They were like tiny pieces of a broken puzzle.

Standing up, she began to walk over to the stealth fighter jedt. Annabelle could see both tail fins were an awful burnt black hue. Underneath the plane she was shocked by the condition of the wings. There were several severe dents, along with scratches. It reminded Anna of how Jazz looked when he finally come back online. Compared to the buildings, the fighter jet appeared to be a scrap heap. She placed a hand on one of its wheels, but she jerked her hand back. The human looked at the thick layering of dust that had accumulated, not over a week, but a good year or two.

"What the hell happened to you?" Annabelle asked, sounding sympathetic towards the outdated F-22. She moved underneath it, scanning over the damage. "Must've been one hell of a fight over in Iraq," she mumbled. She stopped short of the broken down engines. Even to her ameture mechanical knowledge, Anna knew the charred metal encasing the power engines appeared to be a lost cause. "God blessed the pilot that flew in you."

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"Well, Duke," spoke Ironhide slowly. "I do believe the twins have outdone themselves in destroying government property." The black truck rolled to a stop just passed the main building. Opening his door, he said, "Time to get out, buddy." Duke eagerly jumped out of the truck. He titled his head to the side, still confused and perplexed by how a truck turned into a big, big metal human, but his confusion was quickly forgotten as he spotted the perfect telephone pole to mark. Ironhide looked over at Duke and gave a frustrated sigh. "We didn't come here to take a piss," he stated. "Now, c'mon! We gotta find Anna." The dog cheerfully followed behind Ironhide.

"Hey, if it isn't for the grumpy old bastard!" called Sunstreaker. He was covered in red splashes of paint.

"What the hell is he doing here?" added Sideswipe softly, not wanting Ironhide to over hear. He followed behind his brother. Lifting his gun up, he pretended to take aim at the old general. "Did you come to entertain us, old geezer?" he asked. "Because I would love a moving target."

He took his left canon down and aimed it at a Sideswipe. "I think it's the other way around," replied Ironhide bluntly. He watched with satisfaction as Sideswipe lowered his gun. His frown grew. There was too much silence. "Now where is Annabelle?"

"Oh, she's probably hiding from us," Sideswipe answered with a smirk. "She ran out of ammo about fifteen minutes ago."

"So she ran off, and is hiding from us until we run out of ammo," his twin finished.

"And you're letting her run around a base, unsupervised. . . ?" questioned Ironhide as he folded his arms across his chest.

The twins looked at each other, silenting debating between their selves to lie or tell the truth. They turned their heads towards Ironhide with blank expressions. "Yeah," they answered.

He growled, and the twins visibly took a step back. "Do you even realize what kind of trouble and hurt she could get into?" he continued, building up a rampage. "She's a frail human -- not some invincible robot."

"She's old enough that she can take care of herself," Sunstreaker argued.

"Plus she has her cell-phone to call us if something goes wrong," justified the red Autobot. He sighed. Sideswipe was growing agitated by Ironhide's protective behavior. He thought it was no wonder why Annabelle loved to get away from him. "But just to make you happy - "

"We'll go find Anna for you," added his brother. "That way you can reassured - "

"That you're li'l Bella is a-ok, Jacob," Sideswipe finished.

"Letting you guys read Twilight was a mistake," grumbled Ironhide. The black mech walked passed them as he scanned the area for a sign of his human. "So which way did she go?"

Both twins shrugged in unison. "We were too busy repainting each other to notice," they replied.

"Typical," he mumbled. The black Autobot used his internal communication system to dial Annabelle's cellphone number. One ring. Two rings. 'Pick up god -' His thoughts were caught off mid-sentence as she picked up.

_"Hi, Mr. Hyde,"_ answered his human. _"You've gotta check -"_

"Where are you Annabelle?" demanded Ironhide irritably.

_"You're here aren't you?"_ she replied, not sounding too pissed. _"I'm in one of the compounds by the runaway. You gotta come here ASAP!"_

"Why?" asked the old 'bot, a bit afraid of what his human might have found. He had come to conclusion (from over the years) that anything Annabelle found was (at the very least) odd or unusual. Her knack for finding the oddities never ceased to amaze the old soldier.

_"There's an F-22 here!"_ she said excitingly. _"It's so cool, Ironhide!"_

The Autobot was caught off guard by this news, and his body became stiff and rigid. An abandoned base with a highly sophisticated airplane did not compute with his logic chip. "Don't move Anna," he stated sternly. "We're coming to get you." The weapons specialist hung up before glaring over at the twins. "You two come with me now!" he ordered. "And get out your weapons." Ironhide took off running towards the compound Anna was using the GPS.

Both twins were looking at each other with confused looks, but followed the elder bot's lead. "What's going on, Ironhide?" asked Sunstreaker.

"Just be ready to use some of that Jet Judo," he replied, almost snarling out the command.

"There's a Seeker here?" asked Sideswipe with a little bit too much enthusiasm for Ironhide's taste.

"No, we're going turkey hunting," Sunstreaker replied sarcastically. He gave a huff, tired of how think headed his brother was at times. "Of course there is a Seeker here, dip-shit. Didn't he ask you to be ready to use Jet Judo?"

"No need to act like a bitch," retorted his twin.

"Will you two shut up?" growled Ironhide. He came to a sudden stop in front of the building. "And you two need to stop all that cursing. It's a bad influence on Annabelle." His sky blue optics scanned over the twins, as he finally noticed they were missing their the plasma that fuel their guns. "Where the hell are your guns?"

"Hey! You just cussed!" The twins blurted out in unison.

"Yeah, well, when you get to be an old, salty fart like me you can curse then," he replied. Ironhide took down his canons as he walked towards the compound. The twins unsheathed their duel swords from both arms as they followed Ironhide. Using his right canon, the trigger happy soldier happily fired at the wall. The Autobot rushed in, holding up both of his canons at the airplane. His blue optics scanned over the Decepticon symbols on Starscream's tail fins and frowned. 'Where in Primus is Annabelle?' he thought when he didn't see her. "Give her up Starscream!"

"We've got you surrounded!" called out the twins as they rushed in behind Ironhide; they too noticed the Decepticon symbols, but instead of frowning (like Ironhide) they smiled. It had been too long since they had the opportunity to hunt down decepticons without NEST officials breathing down their necks, and their eager faces only touched the surface of the joy they felt. The twins' systems were charged, ready to ambush the seeker at any moment.


	2. Chapter 2

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** omg, thanks for the reviews, alerts, and favs! 8D never thought i would do that well! i really appreciate all the feed back; it's really encouraging. so special shout outs to all of you!

**replies:**

_dixiegurl13,,_ xD && i'm glad i got the twins down. :] they're so much fun to write.

_elita one,,_ oh yes he is! -covers mouth- dun wanna spoil it.

_autobot alythia,,_ i do too! the two make such a classic pairing. 3

_tlcoopi7,,_ i hope to continue since it's so much fun to write! it's just finding time to right it is the hard part, lol. i am hoping to get the next chapter out next week sometime, but only if my teacher's decided to go easy on the HW.

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**pairings:** starscreamxannabelle vs. ironhidexannabelle; what a twisted little triangle of love.

**disclaimer:** i do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

_"this is com-link, or whatever the heck it is called these days."_

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"What the freak guys?!" screamed Annabelle.

"Where are you, Annabelle?" asked Ironhide.

"I'm in here!" she called back. The human slowly popped out of the cockpit, waving her right slowly. Her blue eyes were wide open from the shock blast. Pieces of the wall were resting on her shoulders.

"What the hell are you doing up there?!" asked Ironhide, furious that _his_ Annabelle was so close to a Deception -- and a cowardly, backstabbing one with a lot of fire power to spare.

"Well the cockpit was open so I got in. Then you came rudely blasting your way in," she explained. Annabelle glared over at the twins as she put her hands on her hips. "And that goes for you two as well."

_'God, she looks so much like Sarah when she does that,' _was Ironhide's initial thought before the displeased and snappy edge of her voice set in. "Stop throwing a temper tantrum, and get down from that cockpit," demanded Ironhide. "Right now."

"No," she retorted, staying in place. "And what the hell is going on guys?"

"You're on top of - " answered Sideswipe.

"Starscream!" finished Sunstreaker.

"Who?" she asked, looking at them as if they were two nut cases.

"Starscream!" bellowed out Ironhide. Without a care, other than Annabelle's safety, the Autobot open fire on the airplane.

"What in Primus's name are you doing?" yelled Annabelle. She ducked inside the cockpit, and placed her hands on top of her head to protect herself. Not even spending sixteen years of her life growing up with Ironhide made her feel secure he began to become a little _too_ trigger happy.

"I think he's dead, 'Hide," said a depressed Sideswipe, lowering his paintball gun.

Ironhide glared at them. The weapon specialist backed a few steps back as Sideswipe began to walk towards the other end of the plane, but he refused to lower his canons. The old 'bot knew just how deceptive Starscream was through Jetfire's (and others') stories.

Sunstreaker fired a paintball, hitting the F-22 on the tail fin. "Yup, dead," he agreed in an annoyed tone. "But just to make sure. . ." He confidently walked up to the airplane, and popped his knuckles. The Autobot rubbed his hands together before placing them on the left wing. "Ready?" he asked, looking over at his brother; whom was now at the right wing of the plane.

"I was born ready," Sideswipe sneered.

The red twin suddenly pressed down on the wing. At the same time, Sunstreaker jumped

up. As soon as Sideswipe came down, his brother jumped into the air. The ladder that Annabelle had climbed up on fell to the ground loudly. Using the plane as a teeter tooter, the twins began to build up momentum with each jump. Smug smiles spread from audio sensor to audio sensor as they laughed.

"Stop!" screamed Annabelle. She clutched onto the seat with for dear life with such a force, that her knuckles were beginning to turn white.

"No way!" the twins retorted.

"Do you even know - " said Sunstreaker.

"How long we've - " added Sideswipe.

"Wanted to do this?" his brother finished. "And to that bastard Starscream of all Decepticons!"

Ironhide, placed both his hands on the rear of the plane as he used his massive weight to balance out their weight. "Annabelle said to stop," he snarled. His blue optics looked both of them in the eye. Beneath the metal and circuits, his temper was beginning to boil. The twins from the beginning had rubbed the old soldier the wrong way, and having to spend time with them did not help to ease the tension among them. "And you've both have proven your point," he stated.

"You're more of a prick than Prowl," replied Sideswipe.

Annabelle slowly let go of the seat as she sat up. "You guys couldn't have waited five seconds for me to get off before you started using it as a teeter tooter?" she asked, sounding extremely aggitated. Her deep blue eyes glared the twins, but at the same time, she couldn't convince herself to be mad at them. The twins, they were just themselves.

"Don't get pissed at us," Sunstreaker said.

"We're only doing what we're programmed to do," the red mech added.

"That's no excuse for acting immature," gruffed Ironhide.

"And you have no excuse for being such an asshole" retorted Sunstreaker.

"Nice one!" commented Sideswipe.

"I thought so too," he replied smugly.

"Since I'm such an asshole," said Ironhide. "You two can take Annabelle home."

"What?!" complained the trio.

"That's unfair!" snapped Anna. "I did nothing wrong!"

"I didn't ask for your input, Annabelle," stated Ironhide firmly. "I gave you three an order, and you will comply."

"But - "

"No buts, Anna," he snapped. "Unless you would like to be banned from the base for the next two weekends!"

Annabelle narrowed her gaze on him as she folded her arms across her chest. She turned her lips into a vicious frown. The teenager bit on her tongue, trying to keep herself from back talking.

Sunstreaker gave Ironhide a dirty look as he walked over to the human. "C'mon, Anna," he said. The autobot offered his hand to the girl. "We don't need to be hanging around this old junk place anyway." He watched as she reluctantly stepped onto his hand. The yellow turned his head away from Ironhide, and walked out of the compound with Anna.

"What about you?" asked Ironhide irritatingly.

Sideswipe looked back at his superior. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms like some tough, cool guy. "You can't handle Starscream on your own," he replied.

"I can too han-"

"No you can't," the red bot answered. "Last time you tried to take on Screamer, Beeman lost his legs, and you and Rach were shot down."

"He got a lucky shot," justified the old bot.

"Whatever," Sideswipe said sarcastically.

"Why don't you get lost," suggested Ironhide.

"Suit yourself, 'Hide," answered the Autobot with a sly smirk. Sideswipe walked towards the new opening in the compound, but stopped short. He turned around, looking at Ironhide with a devilish face. "What do you want me to tell Annabelle when we find your dead body?" he asked. "Want me to tell her how good ol' Hide once again took on more than he could handle? Or perhaps you would like me to tell her how you -"

The old bot's hands folded into two fists as his temper rose. "Shut up, kid," retorted Ironhide.

"You'll thank me later," Sideswipe said smugly.

"Why don't you go make yourself useful for once, and go scout the area," commanded the weapon specialist.

"Yes, Sir!" stated Sideswipe. He mocked a salute towards his superior. "Permission to be trigger happy?"

"Yes," he replied, sounding exhausted. His blue eyes watched as the red bot strutted off happily. He pressed his hand to his temples, tired of the twin's hyperactive, jerky behavior. _'How do you stand it, Anna?'_ he thought. Ironhide walked around Starscream, surprised that the Seeker was out of bombs; while he wasn't a doctor, he could tell that many of these old wounds came from hand-to-hand combat. _"This Ironhide,"_ he called over the Autobot frequency._ "And someone better freakin' pick up."_

_"What is it?" _asked Jetfire.

_"Is Optimus there?"_ he replied, sounding annoyed that Jetfire had answered.

_"He's busy,"_ answered the scientist. _"He's talking with Prowl about the current situation on Cybertron."_

_"Of course," _Ironhide said.

He ignored the pissed tone of Ironhide's voice. _"What do you need?"_ asked Jetfire.

_"Just get me Ratchet," _he commanded.

_"What did Annabelle break this time?"_ Jetfire asked, slightly chuckling.

_"She didn't break anything, Egghead,"_ replied Ironhide.

_"Then what do -"_

_"We found Starscream,"_ he stated bluntly. There was a long, awkward pause. _"Jetfire?" _

_"That's impossible,"_ murmured Jetfire. The scientist paused again before speaking. _"Where are you?"_

_"An old military base, about hundred miles south from our base," _Ironhide said.

_"I'll be there soon with Ratchet,"_ he replied.

The line went silent as Jetfire hung up. "Impossible?" he asked himself. "Why the hell would it be impossible?" His optics looked over at Starscream again. "Nothing is impossible with _you_."

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* * *

The yellow Ferrari sped down the dirt road. Rocks and dust were spit into the air, leaving behind a trail. "Are you gonna talk to me?" asked Sunstreaker. His hologram looked over at the pissed-off Annabelle. The bright blue eyes watched as she turned farther away from him. "Baby, c'mon." He outstretched his head towards her.

"Get you're holograph off of me," she said angrily. "And don't you _ever_ call me your baby again." She crossed her arms across her chest, and pulled her legs towards her torso.

His put both of his hands back on the steering wheel. "No need to be all pissed at me. It isn't my fault."

"Oh yeah, then who's is it?" snapped Anna.

"I can't believe you're being this ungrateful," Sunstreaker remarked. "We just saved your ass from that bastard, and here you are treating us like shit."

"Save me!?" she shouted. Annabelle turned towards the hologram with a shocked face. "You didn't save me! You and your stupid, slag of a twin just got me at least two weeks of being grounded. And - and now my mom is going to bring up going to that freakin' boarding school again!" Her grey-blue eyes glowered at the hologram. Small tears formed on the rims of her eyes. "She'll tell dad, and then dad will be all pissed. Then they'll start yelling at each other over what's best for me." Anna turned her head away, and placed it on her right arm. The wind helped to dry the tears that threatened to fall.

Sunstreaker remained quiet, unsure of what to say. He couldn't joke his way out of this situation like usual, but he didn't know if doing nothing would help. "They won't get a divorce," he reassured, trying to sound strong. "You're parents love each other."

"But you've never heard them yell at each other," stated Anna. "You've never seen how close my dad has come to leaving the house and just driving off the map. And you've never felt was it's like to be caught in the middle of the argument. You don't know what it feels like to feel so helpless and shameful."

"Anna -"

"Don't Anna me!" she yelled. "I don't need to be lectured . . . especially by some immature sociopath, homophobe who thinks he's the best thing since sliced bread."

"Well I am the best thing since -" he responded.

"No you aren't," Annabelle interrupted. "You are the farthest from it. You think you're all great and perfect, but you're really just a lowlife who thinks life's just a big party." She huffed. "You're so far from perfect that you wouldn't know what it would look like."

Sunstreaker paused, unsure of what to say next. The autobot felt weak and wounded for once, and it felt plain weird to not feel cocky -- or not to have some witty comback. "Do you want to go to the base or go home?" he inquired.

"The base," Annabelle said weakly. "I wanna enjoy my last few hours of freedom before I have to go home and get yelled at."

He sighed, and concentrated on driving. The autobot turned up the retro-pop music to fill the silence.

* * *

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* * *

Ironhide watched as the obnoxiously colored yellow hummer drove towards the compound. "'Bout time," grumbled the old bot to himself. He walked towards his old friend, but not before giving a quick glare at the 'sleeping' Screamer. "Where's Jetfire?" he asked, sounding annoyed that the scientist didn't show.

"He's coming," replied the medic. "Optimus and Prowl wanted his opinion about starting the process of building a space bridge that could link Earth to Cybertron." The hummer came to a stop not far from his old friend. Ratchet quickly transformed, eager to see Anna's find up close. "You weren't kidding when you said it was Starscream," he stated. "Surprised you haven't blown him into a million pieces."

"No, I was thinking of letting the twins do that," he answered friendly. "That way I can get them out of my circuits for a bit."

"Smart thinking," Ratchet said with a grin. He let out a deep breath before walking over to the decepticon. "Let's see what we've got here."

"He's got some lacerations on the underside of his wings, probably caused by a sword of some sort. Then there are some dents that have been caused from some hand-to-hand combat," informed Ironhide.

The medic looked over at the weapon specialist, surprised by Ironhide's report. "I didn't know you wanted to become a medic," he said jokingly. Ratchet looked at the underside of the plane. He slowly made his way to the front of the decepticon. The medic began to make a list of the injuries and their severity.

"I think I've experienced enough of them first hand that I should know by now," the black autobot said.

"I won't disagree with you there, 'Hide," Ratchet said. He placed a hand on the nose of the plane. The air became still as Ratchet's gaze seem to drift away -- a typical trademark that meant he was concentrating hard. Ironhide knew this first hand from the many times Ratchet had put him back together. "Well," he stated. "He's not dead."

"How's he's not dead?" asked Ironhide in a demanding voice.

The medic turned towards the weapon specialist. "He's got a faint spark signature," informed Ratchet. "_Very_ faint. I can barely pick it up."

"So he's asleep?" asked Ironhide.

He shook his head. "Yes and no," Ratchet said. "I think our old friend here is merely in an emergency system shutdown."

Ironhide sighed. "In regular terms please," he pleaded.

"He's in the same state I was when Starscream found me," answered Jetfire formally. The SR-71 transformed into a robot as he landed. "It's a coma-like state where all systems shut down; except the ones needed to keep the spark alive." The scientist moved towards the old duo. "It's kind of like when Ana lets her laptop run out of juice, and it shuts down automatically to preserve its memory."

Ironhide turned to see the scientist finally arrive. "Nice of you to show up," he commented.

"Glad you were finally able to come," welcomed Ratchet. "What is the verdict on the space bridge?"

"It's a go ahead; so long as the US government approves of it," Jetfire said happily. His light blue optics landed on the F-22. He sighed as he shook his head slowly in disbelief. "Can't believe it's actually him."

"I'm surprised you aren't all over him," said Ironhide sourly.

Ratchet glared at Ironhide before walking towards Jetfire. "Ignore 'Hide, he's just being grumpy because he's had to put up with the twins," explained the medic.

"How bad of a shape is he in?" asked Jetfire, _almost _sounding concerned.

The yellow hummer shrugged. "It's hard to tell with him in this state," he said frankly. "I would need him to be in his other form to be able to get a better idea, but so far it's not looking good." Ratchet looked back at the decepticon. "He's severed a main circuit to his left wing. I suspect that most of his injuries are internal. Those I can only inspect when he is in his other form."

Jetfire nodded solemnly. He walked towards the left wing, and placed a hand on it. "Never thought I would see him in this condition," he said. "It's ironic actually." He chuckled lightly before his face returned to the typical solemn expression.

A red paintball splattered on the airplane. "It's not ironic, but good fate that Primus has given us," corrected Sideswipe. The red autobot moved forward towards the growing group. "And I say we use it to destroy the little son of a bitch."

"Agreed," commented Ironhide.

"It's not our job to decide if he should live or die," stated Jetfire. "Only Optimus has that authority."

"Wha?!" blurted out Sideswipe. "You're a freakin' decepticon sympathizer!"

"No, I'm just following the code," he corrected. Jetfire looked towards the medic with a confused, sad look about him. "Right?"

"Ratchet, you can't actually agree with him?" asked an angry Ironhide.

"He's a freakin' traitor after all!" added Sideswipe.

The medic looked towards Ironhide. "You already know where I stand in this argument," he answered sternly.

"So what, you're gonna take him back to the base?" the weapon specialist said annoyingly.

"If that's what it takes, then yes," the medic said firmly. "The only way this war will end is through peace and kindness -- not bloodshed."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you!" exclaimed the red twin.

"I can," muttered Ironhide irritatingly.

"Besides, he hasn't hurt anyone yet," justified Ratchet. "So we have no reason to fire at him."

"He could've hurt Annabelle," Ironhide said strongly.

Jetfire turned towards Ironhide. He looked eerily calm. "Starscream is helpless right now. He couldn't defend himself if he tried."

"Which is why we should kill him right now," Sideswipe suggested.

"If we kill him now, then we are no better than the decepticons," reminded Jetfire.

"Oh who gives a shit what you think," the jock snapped. "You'd let your old feelings for him for him blind you."

"That's enough," Ratchet stated firmly. "You two will go back to the base, and tell Optimus that Jetfire and I will be arriving with Starscream." The medic stared at both of them with a glare that would make most cower.

"C'mon, junior," huffed Ironhide sarcastically. "Let's go tell Optimus the happy news." He turned around and transformed into his truck. "Duke!" he yelled. The dog came trotting on command. His tail happily wagged from side to side. He held his head high as he carried a metal stick in his mouth. The eager dog jumped into the bed of the truck.

"Seniors first," said a cocky Sideswipe.

"How thoughtful of you," he grumbled. The black Autobot spun out of the compound. A fully transformed red ferrari followed behind the GMC truck.

Jetfire watched as the pair drove off. He turned slowly back to Ratchet. "You don't think I'm a decepticon sympathizer, do you?" he asked.

"No," Ratchet said truthfully. "I think you're caught in between a rock and a hard place." The medic looked at the F-22, and cracked a smile. "Only Anna would be able to find something like this, eh?"

Jetfire shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," he said unenthusiastically.

"I'm surprised you aren't glad to see your friend," the medic stated. "You two used to have such a strong relationsip." His cheerful voice took a more serious tone. "Especially since you're sympathetic towards him."

"He's not my friend," Jetfire assured solemnly. His eyes rested on the F-22. "And I'm not sympathetic towards him either. I merely pity him for what he's become." The Autobot shifted towards Ratchet. "Can we just get him back to the base, please?"

Ratchet nodded. He took out a long, but thick coil of tightly knitted wires. "Here," he explained. The medic handed Jetfire the coil. "Take this, and see if there's still a working power line near here. With any luck, we can hook him up to it -"

"And power up his systems manually," finished Jetfire.

"Precisely," he said. "With enough power, I should be able to forcibly trigger the transformation into his robotic form without reawakening him. That way you can transport him back to the base."

The scientist took the coil and headed outside without saying a word.

* * *

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* * *

Annabelle sat on her cot in the darkness of the Ratchet's medical bay. It was one of the few places where the twins did not dare to enter. She flipped over onto her stomach, and closed her eyes. Sometimes the silence felt just as painful as the arguments at home. The teenager sighed heavily. She was tired of the morbid thoughts of what would happen when she would go home. Annabelle turned up the music to the point where she could not hear her own thoughts. "Sometimes, I want to _disappear_ some place," she sang softly. "Sometimes, I'm feeling _so_ alone." There was a brief pause between songs, and Anna looked down at the floor. She pressed her left hand down on the ground. A soft smile spread across her face as she remembered how Jetfire would use his hologram to turn the floor into a virtual map of all the known galaxies. The stories of all the worlds he had visited filled Anna with envy, _'At least you could runaway and never be found, and no one would care,'_ she thought to herself. _'Unlike me, who can't even go the bathroom without someone wondering where I've gone off too.' _Her thoughts were cut short as the next song began to play.

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**A/N: **sorry for the boring, non-actiony chapter. Dx i didn't want to overload you guys. plus i didn't want to rush the story. any critiques are welcomed since i know i've prolly made a billion mistakes with grammar and spelling.

oh, lyrics by the veronicas -- hook me up.


	3. Chapter 3

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** happy belated single's awareness day! :D and happy pressy day!

**replies:**

tlcoopi7,, oh, i would never forget his vainness. -smiles wickedly- without it, what fun is sunny?

autobot alythia,, anna might beat him to it, lol.

elita one,, (anna's pov) now you see what i have to put up with!

dixiegurl13,, yeah, someday i'll post a chapter without spelling errors, lol. i know what you mean. it hurts my brainz to see how perfect they make will+sarah to be, or how perfect most people make the transformer relationships to be. i'm so sorry to hear that! -huggles tightly- yeah, the teeter tooter scene is pretty much my favorite scene so far. xD

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**pairings:** starscreamxannabelle vs. ironhidexannabelle; what a twisted little triangle of love.

**disclaimer:** i do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

_"this is com-link, or whatever the heck it is called these days."_

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Light flooded into the dark room as Ratchet opened the door. Naturally Anna groaned in protest to the bright light. Like a mortal vampire, she curled up into a tight ball, and pulled the covers over her head. Ratchet sighed as he walked into the medical bay. His blue optics scanned over the small lump on top of the human cot. "Anna," he said as he stood over her. "It's time to get up." The lack of response did not generally irritate the calm, cheerful medic, but today wasn't the usual day where he could let her sleep in the medical bay. "Annabelle, please," he stated. "I need you to leave . . . now."

She let out an exasperated groan before sitting up on her knees. Annabelle took her hands and rubbed her sore eyes to postpone leaving the room for as long as possible. "Why?" she asked meekly.

"I need the medical bay," he answered.

"Can't I stay and sleep like always?" she pleaded as she began to curl up into a ball.

"Annabelle, I need to you to keep the twins busy for me," the medic said.

"Get freakin' 'Hide to do it because I don't feel like it," Anna retorted.

Ratchet let out a deep breath. "I need 'Hide here to help me, Anna," he responded calmly. His optics looked over her tired face. "Why are your eyes red? Have you been crying Anna?"

She rolled off the cot and stood up. "No, I'm just peachy," the girl said sarcastically. Annabelle yanked the blanket out of Ratchet's grasp. She wrapped it around herself, careful not to pull out her left earphone since her right one had already fallen out during her nap. With it securely wrapped around her body, she marched out of the med bay, completely ignoring the approaching Ironhide.

The old soldier sighed as she disappeared behind the corner. He knew Annabelle would be upset at him for ruining her fun with the Decepticon, but he hadn't prepared himself for the cold shoulder treatment. Ironhide turned into the medical bay. The bright white surgical lights were turned on overhead, making it almost _too_ bright for him to stand. "Anna's mad at me," he said, trying to make a conversation with his old friend.

Ratchet looked towards Ironhide with an unsurprised look. "Should that surprise you?" asked the medic. "You did just take away the best toy in the world."

"Ha, ha," Ironhide replied. "She should consider herself lucky that that slag was deactivated."

"Ironhide, she's a teen," he explained. "She can't think that far ahead." Ratchet's optics looked over at Jetfire as he walked in the med bay. Draped across his back was the inactive Starscream. "Oh Jetfire! Good to see you made it." Ratchet walked over towards his comrade, helping him to carry the awkwardly built Decepticon.

"He's heavier than you think he is," Jetfire responded. He lowered Starscream onto his shoulder, allowing Ratchet to help carry him by the Seeker's other shoulder. He slowly walked towards the medical table. "'Hide," he greeted neutrally with a nod.

Ironhide nodded back, without much to say. He watched as the two eggheads lowered the Seeker down on the table. "Shouldn't we place him on his ventral side?" he asked. "It's be more leveled."

"Normally I would, 'Hide," Ratchet admitted. "But for medical purposes, he'll have to be placed on his dorsal side. Besides, I don't think he can do much more damage to those wings." His optics looked over at Ironhide suspiciously.

"The twins were using him as a teeter tooter," he explained.

The medic pointed towards the fresh wound on the right wing. "I would know your mark anywhere, 'Hide," he replied.

Jetfire cleared his vocal processors, feeling a bit awkward in the conversation. "If you excuse me," he said. "I need to go recharge. Bringing him back has drained my energy."

"Of course, Jetfire," Ratchet said cheerfully. "And if you see Anna, tell her I'm sorry for booting her out."

Jetfire nodded as he began to walk out.

"And has Optimus informed Simmons, yet?" asked Ironhide.

The scientists sighed, and turned around. "Not that I'm aware of," he replied. "Seeing as I _just_ got back."

Ironhide ignored the sour tone of Jetfire's voice. "Well if you see him, tell him to get Simmons down here," he ordered. "And tell Simmons to bring sushi."

"Why? Has Anna been crying?" the scientist asked.

The old duo nodded.

"Poor girl," he commented, shaking his head. "I'll tell him." Jetfire turned away and walked out of the room.

The medic looked towards the mess that was Starscream. "Well we better get started," Ratchet said. He grabbed a giant crowbar, and used it to pry away the loose chest armor. "Here," he said, handing Ironhide a chest plate. "Put that on the table while I remove the other pieces."

Ironhide took the piece, and put it on the table behind them. He sighed as Ratchet handed him another piece. The autobot leaned against the wall and sighed. This would be a long afternoon.

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Anna collapsed into the red, cybertronian sized bean bag chair. She let out a deep breath as her body went limp in the comfort of the squishy chair. Her eyes looked around the room, making her smile at its home sweet homeness. "Aren't you gonna clean this place up?" she asked.

"And be like my bro?" Sideswipe asked. "Hell no." The red ferrari laid down in the bean bag chair next to Anna. "Having a clean room is for prissy slags." He smiled proudly at his messy room. It the opposite of Sunstreaker's perfectly clean room. He rolled over onto his side, looking at Anna. "So what brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"Just came to chill," Anna replied, sounding exhausted.

"Oh I see how it is," he said slyly. The Autobot moved closer to Anna with a smug look on his face. "It's okay. I know how you feel about me." He watched as the human's face turned to disgust. "You don't have to make excuses to be with me," he added.

"I so do not feel - " she protested, but Sideswipe cut her off.

He placed his index finger on her lips, making her more furious. "Shhhh," he whispered. Sideswipe moved his head closer to hers. "There's no need to like that. You're secret is safe with me."

Anna took her hand and slapped him across the face; even though, she knew it wouldn't hurt him, it felt good just to slap him. "Jock," she retorted sourly. She folded her arms across her chest, and turned her back to him.

Sideswipe sighed. _'Femmes and girls alike take things too seriously sometimes,'_ he thought to himself. "Wanna play Halo three?" he asked, trying to get onto her good side again.

"Nah," she replied. "We played that yesterday, remember?" The teenager rolled onto her stomach, and placed her head on her folded arms. "I need to do something fun before I turn into a maniac depressant."

"Why do you let it bother you so much?" he asked bluntly. "You don't get all stressed when my bro and I fight? So why get stressed when you're parents fight?"

"Not helping," she retorted. "Besides, if I wanted to be lectured by a counselor, I would've gone to Prime."

"Bitch," he muttered.

"What'd you say?" she snapped. Anna sat up, and glared at him. "I'm not in the mood today, Sideswipe. So don't push me, or you'll end missing all four limbs."

"Sheesh," he replied. "You're just as bad as Ratchet." Sideswipe looked towards his monitor, and frowned. That damn Seeker had messed up their day's plans. "Hmm," he said, thinking of way to cheer up the moody Annabelle. "We could always pull a prank on my bro."

"Like what?" she asked, slightly curious.

"Like draw on his face with permanent while he takes a nap," he suggested with a smirk. "Or draw all over his body."

Anna looked over him skeptically. "And what makes you think I would want to draw all over your brother?" she asked harshly.

"You're right, it's stupid," he said.

"Let's do it," she replied eagerly.

"You know, you make no sense sometimes, right?" he asked.

Annabelle hopped over the chair. "Yeah, I know," she answered.

"Okay, just checking," Sideswipe stated. He got off the chair, and smiled.

With anna here. This. Would. Be. Epic.

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* * *

Jazz looked down at the calculations Optimus had sent him. All these numbers and figures reminded him of Prowl. He could picture Prowl sitting across the table from him, carefully molding the numbers into something that could prove useful in their cause to defeat the Decepticons. He could almost hear the gentle tapping of Prowl's fingers as he would think deep and hard about something. Jazz would be able to see the serious expression on his face. The thought of Prowl brought a smile to his face, but sadness to his spark. The lieutenant sighed. Even though he had spoke to Prowl this morning, it only made him feel worse afterwards; while it was great to hear Prowl's serious voice, it was nothing like hearing it in person.

He glanced down at the figures again. What would Optimus say if he put in a transfer to go back to Cybertron? He had a valid reason to go back, seeing as there had been no detection of Decepticons on Earth since Mission City, and his efforts would be put to better use reclaiming Cybertron for the Autobots. Yet he felt guilty about his real reason to go back. Jazz thought of how he would break it to Optimus. More importantly, he tried to predict how Optimus would react to his request. The lieutenant's thoughts were put on pause as the sound of laughter echoed down the corridor.

"Oh my god, I can't believe we did that," Annabelle said in between breathes. "That might just be the meanest thing I've done this year, yet."

"No, the dare you made Optimus, Jetfire, and Ironhide do is still the meanest thing you've done this year," corrected Sideswipe.

"Maybe," she replied.

Jazz got off of his chair, curious as to what this mischievous duo did this time. He stood at the doorway, looking at the two. "Wha'd you li'l bitches do this time?" he asked, smiling.

"Wassup Home-g?" Anna asked, trying to impersonate Jazz's lingo. "And wha'd we been up to?" She pointed to Sideswipe. "Me and my crew just been busy, yo? You dig?"

"Anna you fail at talking like Jazz," Sideswipe commented.

"We don't need to be hearing from you, hoe," she snapped.

Jazz chuckled. "I'm thinkin' you need more lessons in my language, dawg," he replied.

"Why even try, Jazz?" Sideswipe sneered. "She's _too_ white to ever talk black."

"Hey, hey hey!" Anna retorted. "Don't go judging my skin color, bro. We all da the same on the da inside, dawg. So don't be hater. Haters are uncool."

"Anna, dawg, you gotta stop," Jazz said, trying to keep himself from laughing. "You dun have what it takes to talk like dis, word?"

"But I'm getting really, really good at it!" she justified. "Just stick me in the ghetto for a few years, and I'll be better at it than you, dawg!"

"You could spend your whole life there, and you've never be able to speak it," Sideswipe stated bluntly. "Just face it, and save yourself the embarrassment."

She turned towards Sideswipe as if he were crazy. "Haven't we been over this before?" she asked rhetorically. "There is no such thing as shame or embarrassment in this base."

"Anna gotta point, dawg," Jazz added.

"SIDESWIPE!!! ANNABELLE!!!"

Her face lit up with pure delight at the sound of Sunstreaker's screaming voice. "Uh oh," said Annabelle. "Time to go."

The small autobot looked towards Sideswipe with a concerned face. "Wha'd ya do to ya bro, dawg?" Jazz asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," Sideswipe answered. He placed Annabelle in his hand, and began to run.

"Bye, homie!" shouted Annabelle. She waved back at Jazz. "And be cool dawg."

Jazz watched as the two disappeared behind a wall. He turned his head, and he could see a maybe once yellow Sunstreaker come running down the hallway. In his hand was one of Ironhide's extra plasma guns. From head to toe, he was covered in fluffy Hello Kitty stickers and poor, but colorful drawings; and pink, fuzzy balls were randomly glued over his torso. By far the most notable mark was the big 'L' _inscribed_ on his forehead. On cue, Jazz fell into a laughing fit.

"It's not funny!" screamed Sunstreaker. To his dismay, Jazz only laughed harder at him. "Where are those bitching slags?"

"I dunno bro" Jazz answered in between laughs. "Prolly far from here." He doubled over from the pain of laughing. He would never be able to look at Sunstreaker the same or take him serious after this.

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The red bot continued to run down the hallways, taking as many twists and turns as possible. "Think he'll be cool?" Sideswipe asked.

"Jazz has to be cool," Annabelle reassured. "After all, he's under the prankster oath of honor."

"That's not worth shit, Anna," he replied bluntly.

"And neither are you," she retorted.

"Is that Simmons?"

"Wha?" She turned around in his hand, and right there at the entrance of the base was the greatest person to make fun of -- Simmons. "Simmons!" she called. "Over here!"

The aged agent reluctantly turned towards the massive duo. These two were a thousand times worse than dealing with Sam Witwiky and his gang of aliens. "Hello," he muttered.

From behind a corner, emerged a monster more deadly than a pissed off Ratchet. "I GOT YOU PAINT JOB RUINING BITCHES NOW!!!" yelled Sunstreaker. He held up Ironhide's gun, and aimed it at them. "Pay back is sweet."

"Shit!" shouted Sideswipe.

"Get me down! Get me down! GET ME DOWN!" yelled Annabelle. She pushed on Sideswipe's fingers, trying to get them to unfold.

Sideswipe came to a halt, and dropped the human. "This should be fun," he said smugly. The twin transformed his left hand into a cannon similar to Bumblebee's.

_Thump_! Anna landed on the ground. She scrambled to her feet, afraid to face the wrath of Sunstreaker. She raced towards Simmons, and grabbed the side of his jacket. "C'mon!" she urged. "We gotta get out of here, ASAP!"

Simmons didn't need to be told to run. Even in his older age, the agent had managed to stay fit. Sure he was grayer, more wrinkled, and even more anti-social, but anyone from the Mission City Battle would still be able to recognize the pain-in-the-ass Reggie. "What the hell is going on, Annabelle?" he asked.

"It's Megatron reincarnated," she informed. Her blue eyes looked towards the white bag that he held in his left hand. "What's in the bag?"

"Sushi," he stated.

"Sweet! This way!" The girl took a sharp right, and headed down a dark hallway.

"Where are we going?" Simmons demanded.

"Ratchet's room," the girl said. "It and the med bay are the only two safe places in this base."

"Why are those two places the safest places?" he asked.

"You're nosy," she stated. Annabelle took a left into an even darker room. She came to stop before looking at Simmons. "They're the only places where the twins won't even dare go for fear of being turned into femme bots, or worse -- out dated toasters."

He came to a stop behind Anna. His chest rose up and down furiously as he tried to catch his breath. "You have a weird since of humor," the agent replied.

"I'm not being funny," Anna said. "Ratchet seriously threatened to turn them into either a femme bot or toaster -- said it depended on how merciful he was feeling." She flipped a light switch, before sitting down. "So what brings Mr. Brown Nosier to our li'l base?" Anna placed her head on her knuckles while looking at him like an innocent teenager.

"Optimus Prime reported that NBE-02 was found," he explained unenthusiastically. "And here." He handed the bag of sushi to Anna.

She eagerly took the sushi, and began to unwrapped the package. "So who is this NBE-02?" Anna asked curiously. She popped a california roll into her mouth.

"He's an F-22 fighter -"

"I know that," she interrupted. "But I mean, why is everyone making such a big deal about him?"

Simmons looked at her with unpleased look, before sighing. Kids, they were always so demanding. "He's a skilled fighter whom has taken down countless jets, and killed some of the best goddamn pilots the US Air Force had to offer. He's highly dangerous."

Anna swallowed as she nodded. "Ironhide's done worse," she commented. "Well, not on _this_ planet."

"Interesting," Simmons said sarcastically. He let out a frustrated breath. "So where's Optimus Prime?"

The girl shrugged. "Dunno. Probably talking with Ratchet and Ironhide."

"Can you take me to them?" he asked.

"No," she stated. "I'm not gonna risk my neck getting blown off by Sunny." Anna glanced over her shoulder. "If he finds me, I'm good as dead." She turned her head towards him as he huffed. "Besides, Ratchet or Ironhide will know where to get us."

"You'd better be right," he sneered.

"I. Am. Right," she retorted back.

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* * *

Optimus waited in the Med Bay with Ratchet, Ironhide, Jetfire, and Jazz. The leader folded his arms across his chest. Simmons should have been here by now.

"Maybe the fuzz ran into trouble with the fuzz?" suggested Jazz.

"Speak plain english, Jazz," complained Ironhide. "Not all of us understand what you're saying."

"I think he means that maybe Simmons got caught in traffic, or was pulled over by a cop for speeding," translated Ratchet.

"Well, where ever he is he - " Jetfire said.

"Present!" yelled Annabelle as she ran into the room. At her side was Simmons. "Sorry for being so late, but we had to pick a path that didn't involve running into Sunny."

The lieutenant snickered as the memory of Sunny flashed through his mind. "Ya'll did a killer paint job on Sunny," Jazz commented.

"Thanks, bro," she replied.

Ironhide huffed and rolled his optics. _'Not Anna, too.'_

The other human cleared his throat. His brown eyes glanced hatefully at the Decepticon laying on the medical table. Looking back at Optimus, he nodded. "Yes, we were on an adventure," he confirmed sourly. "So, I see you found _him_. What are you going to do with him?"

"I don't know," Optimus replied. "I've been waiting to hear the medical report form Ratchet." The classic blue eyes turned towards their medic. "Ratchet?"

Ratchet took a step forward to grab everyone's attention. "He's, at the very least, in critical danger of full system shut down," the medic explained. "His right wing is severely jumbled up on the inside. Their is also a fuel line that has been severed that leads to his engine. The left arm - " He pointed to his own arm, using it as a diagram. "Has the several fractures on the mainframe; which, as you know Ironhide, is not easy to get to to fix." He paused for a second as he let the information sink in. "His left leg has suffered severe injuries. All hydraulics in both joints are jammed. Those are all minor compared to what I first found." Ratchet looked towards Jetfire in particular. "The main circuit that supplies the spark chamber with energy has almost been severed into two pieces. His actual spark chamber has suffered damage. Those repairs are not easy, and may take years to repair." His blue optics flashed towards Jazz.

"So what's your verdict on him, Ratchet?" Optimus inquired.

"As a _medical officer_, I would say he is a lost cause," he replied. "It's a miracle he's even alive. From my knowledge, he _should_ be dead."

He nodded. Optimus looked towards Jetfire. "You knew him better than any of us," he stated. "So I trust you to make the decision. You would know if there would be anything we could gain from saving him."

All eyes turned to Jetfire, but he didn't look back. He was shocked that Optimus would ask him to make such an important decision. The scientist turned his gaze towards his inactive ex-friend. "I don't know him," he stated bluntly. "But what I do know of this new Starscream, I don't think we can gain anything from him. He's _too_ dangerous to be trusted."

"So, you think that we should just kill him?" Simmons asked.

He slowly nodded. "Yes," he answered. "He deser-"

"You can't kill him!" Annabelle interrupted. She watched as they all turned to look at her. "After all, a live man is worth more than a dead man. Just think about it. We barter him for some of our own."

"Annabelle, he's the second in command -" Ironhide started to say.

"Exactly!" she exclaimed. "He's worth a lot to them, then."

"I don't think you understand how the Decepticon rankings work," Jetfire informed. "He's worth nothing to them. It's a dog eat dog system."

"Except the Seekers," Ratchet commented. "They would do anything to have him back."

Annabelle pointed towards the medic. "See! Ratchet agrees with me!"

"Do you agree with Anna?" Jetfire asked.

Ratchet looked down at the ground as the spotlight was put on him. "I've said all I've needed to say." He lifted his head slightly, and looked at Jetfire. "I will go along with whatever your decision is."

She looked at them with a disgusted and surprised expression on her face. "But you can't kill him," Anna pleaded. "Think about. What are the chances that of all the bases and the hiding places in the world, we happen to pick the one that has this freak in it." The girl looked at them. "It's gotta be more than just pure coincidence that we found him."

"Anna -" Jetfire began.

"No! Think about it!" she explained. "You guys always talk about how Primus has plans for you guys, and how he controls your destiny. Maybe Primus intended for us to find him." The girl walked out in front of them. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If a Decepticon did this to him, then he may very well become an ally to us."

Ironhide chuckled. "Apparently you've never heard the stories about this Seeker's treachery," he said coldly. "He's infamous treachery is second only to that of the Fallen's. Besides, an Autobot probably did this to him."

"Then why didn't an Autobot report to either Prowl or Optimus that they encountered such a dangerous and important 'Con?" she snapped.

"Li'l dawg, you don't understand," Jazz informed. "This slag is bad news."

She crossed her arms and huffed. "None of you are thinking straight!" the girl exclaimed. "You're all talking about him like he's already dead. If you haven't forgotten, he's still _alive_. He could become our _ally_ if we save him. If became our ally, then maybe the other Seekers would join him. And then, we would have some of the most elite flyers on our side. Think of how that could turn the tides in _our_ favor!"

"Jazz, why don't you take Anna out of here," Ironhide suggested.

"You can't kick me out!" she blurted.

"I don't think you understand how serious this matter is," Simmons commented.

"Goddammit!" she growled. "No nobody listens to me anymore." Anna turned around, and stormed out of the medical bay grumbling.

With Anna gone, the other turned towards Jetifre. "So what's your decision Jetfire?" Optimus asked again.

Jetfire looked back at Optimus, meeting their leader's gaze. "For the safety of us and our cause, Starscream must not live," he said firmly.

He nodded his head. The large autobot looked at Ratchet. "Do as he says," he ordered.

"That was simple," Simmons stated no one in particular. "And a waste of my time." The agent turned around, and began to leave. "You know my number if you need me." Reggie turned to the right, and vanished behind the wall.

"I think I'll go find our li'l dawg," Jazz said. "She may need some cheering up." He watched as Optimus nodded approvingly before leaving the room.

Ironhide watched as Jazz left the room. "I think I'll take Duke home, and tell Sarah that Anna will be staying the night here."

"And I need to check the files to see if there is a recent report that deals with Starscream," Optimus said.

Jetfire and Ratchet watched as the two old comrades left the room together. "I think I should go to," the scientist said. He stopped by Ratchet placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Is this what you want?" Ratchet asked. The medic's optics looked directly at Jetfire's.

He nodded. "This is what must be done."

Ratchet released his grip, and watched as Jetfire exited the medical bay. He turned towards Starscream with a solemn face. He walked towards the Seeker, trying to force a smile on his face. The medic placed a hand on the cockpit. He sighed. "I'll always wanted to know what made you become a decepticon," he confessed. "But I guess, I'll never know now." Ratchet lifted the entire cockpit piece to expose the circuit, and pulled out his saw. "May you find peace in the Well of All Sparks, old chap." He closed his eyes since he always hated to see a spark fade away. Ratchet turned away and sighed. It was done.

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* * *

Anna laid on her bed in the darkness. Hours had passed, but the anger still bubbled beneath her skin. She tossed onto her stomach, and buried her head into her pillow. '_No body freakin' listens to me anymore,'_ Anna thought to herself. _'Hell, they paid more attention to what I said when I was five years old.' _She breathed hard into the pillow; while debating if she should scream out her frustration or beat her pillow to a pulp. Anna was distracted by a jabbing pain in her left thigh. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out the piece of metal she had found earlier. With her free hand, she turned on the table beside her bed. The girl brought the piece of ebony metal close to her face, taking in every detail. Her fingers traced over the small details that were engraved on it. It seemed so familiar to her. Anna knew she had seen it somewhere, but where?

"Jazz!" she whispered loudly.

Ratchet had used a piece similar to bring back Jazz (after his body was repaired). Her blue eyes became large as she looked down at the piece of metal. _'The Allspark,' _she thought. Anna smiled at the fragment. She glanced towards the clock sitting next to her lamb. _'12:56 a.m. Perfect.'_ She shoved the fragment back into her jeans, before hopping off the bed and heading to the door. Anna glanced around the corner to make sure no 'bots were walking down the hallway. _'If no one will listen to me, then I'll show them,' _she told herself.

While there was always someone up in the base, she knew that most had adjusted from a Cybertronian day to an Earth day. Well, she knew at least Sunny would be up trying to restore his perfect paint job; and 'Hide and Ratchet _always_ recharged for an hour or two an night. She had guessed it had something to do with being an older bot, but she hadn't been able to confirm that theory.

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* * *

Annabelle walked down the hallway casually, not wanting to look conspicuous if Optimus or one of the bots found her. She kept her left hand in her pocket as she gripped the fragment tightly. She turned into the Med Bay, and immediately closed the doors the behind her via keypad. Anna flipped the switch to turn on the lights. She let out a sigh of relief. He was still on top of the medical table. She walked over to the ladder that Ratchet had installed on the side of the table, and climbed up. She looked at Starscream. He was a tattered mess from Ratchet diagnosing him. He still missed all of his chest armor, along with some of his leg armor. _'Ironhide's looked worse,'_ she reassured herself.

The Seeker's anatomy was shockingly different than the other Autobots'. His legs were animal-like, and his torso very triangularly shaped. Even his arms were increasingly long for his height. Annabelle walked towards chest, looking over every detail. If it hadn't been for the cockpit and F-22 wings, she would have easily mistaken him for new arrival. The more she looked over him, the more massive his height seemed to be. _'He could take on Optimus, or Jetfire,'_ she thought._ 'Well maybe not Jetfire. . .' _

She placed a hand on his body. It was cold and lacked a circuit pulse. Anna's slightly cheerful face became serious and solemn. Death was still very foreign to her. _'Spark chamber,'_ she thought. _'Where is your spark chamber, Mr. NBE-02?'_ Annabelle began to climb over the wires and metal that made up his skeleton. She stepped lightly, not wanting to cause more damage to him. She gripped the wires tightly and pulled herself onto his chest. Anna walked unsteadily towards the raised cockpit piece. The girl knelt down before the hole in his chest. She used her freehand to steady herself as she looked down at the busted spark chamber. "You've fought to hard to live to let _them_ just _choose_ your fate for you _without _your consent," she whispered. Annabelle's blue eyes looked towards the empty expression on his face. "I won't let you die. That's a promise."

She pulled out the Allspark fragment, and looked over it. _'Please work,' _Annabelle pleaded. She leaned forward, and held out the piece. Miniature, blue-like lightening surged out from the fragment. Immediately, Anna dropped the piece, afraid of being electrocuted. "Shit," she muttered. Her fear level rose as she watched the cockpit piece come down. Anna backed away quickly to avoid being squished. She watched as red eyes as bright as the sun flashed open. Annabelle tripped over a wire, and fell between his legs. Despite landing on her back, she didn't feel any pain. No, she was more concerned about her safety. Her eyes grew large as the Seeker furiously pushed himself up into a sitting position. They became larger as he held up the gun-like weapon that was mounted on his forearm. Anna instinctively stood motionless, to consumed by emotion expressed on his face.

Fear.

The most violent and unpredictable of all emotions.

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**A/N: **sorry for the bad pop lingo. Dx i live in the middle of no where, so i never hear it. so if anyone knows pop lingo, please teach me. :D i will luv you forever!

oh, and sorry the lack of optimus. Dx i'm trying to get his personality down, as well as jetfire's. mainly deciding if i want to go with the g1 version of jetfire, or make a combo between his g1 and armada version. what do you guys think?


	4. Chapter 4

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N: **finally! the stupid glitch went away!!! -dances- happy fat tuesday! c:

**replies:**

tlcoopi7,, yeah, anna's kind've like that. xD as you'll see.

dixiegurl13,, messa sorry for making you pull out your hair. -hands wig- && thanks. ^^ well, i grew up with both, so i'm able to do both; though i think i'll go with g1 since (as you said) armada jetfire is a jerk, and well, we don't need any more jerks in this story. xD && books of pranks? you will have to share it with me. -nods-

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**pairings:** starscreamxannabelle vs. ironhidexannabelle; what a twisted little triangle of love.

**disclaimer:** i do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

_"this is com-link, or whatever the heck it is called these days."_

breem = 8.3 minutes

groon = 1 hour

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Then three years, 5 months, 12 days, 11 hours, 56 minutes, and 41 seconds ago

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_Starscream stumbled backwards. _POP_! _POP_! _POP_! _POP_! _POP_! _POP_! Sharp, jagged pain traveled up his left leg, spreading through his circuits. He could feel his leg as it became unstable like organic plasma. The Seeker reached out with his left hand, searching for something to grab onto. His hand curled around an irregular object. His red eyes glanced up, and he saw that he wasn't gripping a poll at all -- he was gripping the enemy's arm! Starscream shut his eyes and released his grip, but it was too late._

_The sound of his mainframe in his left arm busting and shattering filled the air. Starscream fell to the floor whimpering. The Seeker remained motionless. He just wanted the pain to end. _

_Horrible, toying laughter echoed through the hall. His heavy footsteps drew nearer. _

_He forced his eyes open. There, just a few hundred feet away was the door. He outstretched his right arm, and dug his claws into the floor. With his right leg, he tried pushing himself, and while using his arm to pull. _

_Deep, almost black red eyes watched as the new Lord of the Decepticons attempted to crawl his way out of the base. He smirked. "Where's your Megatron to save your pathetic exoskeleton?" he yelled. "Where is he!?" He kicked the Seeker onto his stomach. He stood looking over Starscream. His smile grew as the Seeker continued to attempt a crawl. "Where are your brothers, Screamer?" He placed a foot on his back. "I hope they come. I want them to see how pathetic you were in your last few breems. Then, maybe if I'm merciful, I'll let one live." He leaned closer now, putting more weight on the Seeker. "Or maybe, I'll just rip their wings off -- take away their very precious gift," the Cybertronian taunted. "How would you like that Screamer?"_

_He couldn't stand it anymore. Starscream bucked the foot off his back. He flipped himself onto his back. The decepticon raised his working nullray towards the enemy. "Go to Hell," he muttered hatefully in a weak voice. _

_"Gladly," he responded. _

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The now

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Starscream felt a jabbing, but numbing sensation in his chest. He opened his optics and could see this very bright light. Was it day? Was _he_ gone? The Seeker pushed himself up, raising his right arm automatically. His optics scanned around the room, searching for the perpetrator. This wasn't the base. This - this was some place else. The room was a clean white with bare walls. His optics traveled from table to table, watching with fear at the medical instruments on them. Then to his horror, he saw his chest armor sitting on a table. The Seeker glanced down at his vulnerable self. Something else was here with him. The decepticon immediately pointed his nullray at the human. Human. Humans were from Earth. Earth! Earth is where the Allspark is - was. '_UGH!!!'_ he screamed silently at himself for the in-coherency of his thoughts. Why was everything so hard to remember? Wait human. Humans were slightly intelligent creatures. Starscream looked back down at the human girl? Yes girl. _'Girls, like femme bots, have curves,' _he told himself.

"You have really pretty eyes," Anna said neutrally. She tried to break the tension with a harmless compliment.

_'Is this human stupid?' _He had a very volatile weapon pointed at her, and here she was complementing him about his eyes. Of course, it would be luck that this human wouldn't be bright. "Where - " He stopped. Starscream knew he had a scratchy voice, but he didn't remember it sounding like nails on a chalk board.

She giggled at his horrible voice. Annabelle immediately stopped when he glowered at her.

The Seeker sneered at her giggles, finding them rather painful to hear. "Where am I?" he demanded. He no longer cared how his voice sounded so long as he got what he needed. "And answer truthfully or they'll be your last words." Starscream put the nullray closer to the human.

Anna watched as he put the weapon closer to her. She gulped, hoping that by swallowing her fear would disappear. "You're in the Autobot base," she answered. "You're safe . . . for now."

"What?" he said aloud. The Seeker's eyes looked around the room fearfully. This was not good. No, this was the worst situation he could be in. Hell, he'd rather be receiving a punishment from Megatron then be here._ 'Get out of here, Screamer,' _he told himself. Starscream shifted his weight over, and attempted to get off the table.

She stood up, and ducked underneath his moving leg. The girl straightened herself up and watched as the Seeker sat on the edge of the table. "Where the hell are you going?" Annabelle asked loudly.

Starscream ignored the human. He placed both of his hands the edge of the table to support his weight. Instantly sharp, prickling pain surged from his left arm and into his chest. He winced at the pain, but kept himself from groaning. The Seeker slowly lowered his right leg down. Then, he carefully placed his limp leg down on the floor. This time he whimpered at the pain.

Annabelle stayed back, unsure of how he would react to the pain he was feeling. Pain made people, or in this case robots, highly unstable. "You shouldn't do that," she said wearily. "You'll injure yourself more."

"There's a lot of things I shouldn't do, but I do them any way," Starscream sneered.

She crossed her arms at his witty comeback. "Dick head," she muttered.

He once again ignore Anna. Starscream looked down at his busted leg. Shame and failure boiled in his spark. He had handled pain before on a daily basis, so he didn't understand why it was affecting him so much now._ 'Don't be a weakling,' _he told himself. _'You're the new Leader after all, and leaders have to be strong.'_ The Seeker placed the rest of his weight on his two legs. For a moment he stood balanced, but then an erie creaking noise crackled through the air. His fingers tightened and arms became stiff as he legs buckled beneath the weight. Starscream groaned loudly as pain filled his body. Every part of him felt as if a sword was being pushed into his exoskeleton; especially his wings -- they felt as if they were burning from the inside out.

"Maybe you should sit back on the table," Anna suggested.

Starscream glowered towards Anna. "Don't tell me what to do, fleshling," he snapped.

"Fine," she said slyly. "Go ahead and fall. See if I care when your fall wakes up the entire base, and brings all of the trigger happy Autobots to this room." Annabelle smirked as she talked. "I'm sure the twins would just love to practice their jet judo."

He grounded his teeth together. Even the Seeker knew that he wouldn't be able to take on so many autobots by himself. He let out a deep breath as he prepared to lift his right leg back onto the table. Starscream raised himself, and swung his good leg back onto the table. He then used his right hand to drag his injured leg back onto the table. Starscream rolled his head back as the pain came again in another wave.

"You're pretty beaten up, huh?" she said, just trying to make small talk.

The Seeker turned his head towards the human. "What's it to you?" he retorted.

"Nothing if you keep up that attitude, slag," Anna said coldly.

"Please, spare me your pity, squishy," Starscream replied demeaningly.

She stared him with a threatening look about her. "My name is not fleshy, squishy, meat bag, or whatever decepticons call humans," she explained sternly. "My name is Anna, and you will address me as Anna. Anything else, and I'll torch your vocal processors."

Starscream mockingly laughed at her. The Seeker casted a glance towards her. He analyzed how she stood tall and upright like a dominate figure. "You don't scare me," he stated bluntly. "You're just a human." The Seeker became unnerved as the human named Anna met his gaze and glowered at him like he was an idiot -- it was exactly how Megatron would glare at him.

"Don't make me have to teach you the same lesson I taught the twins when they arrived," she replied venomously.

"How dare you," he said disgustingly. "Talk to me like that."

"How dare you challenge my authority," Anna snapped.

He turned his head towards her at her last remark. She was spitfire all right, and had a witty attitude to back it up. "Think your pretty smart, don't you?" Starscream answered sarcastically.

"I must be if that it's your comeback," the girl explained.

He kept his mouth closed, trying to think of a comeback that would leave her speechless, but with his mind still clouded, thoughts were hard to process. The Seeker sighed at his predicament. It felt like the universe was beginning to conspire against him. _'Where is Thundercracker and Skywarp when I need them?'_ he asked silently. _'And where is that fraggin' Barricade anyway? He should have received my message.'_

She sat down on the table, watching him as he went into deep thought. It had never ceased to amaze Annabelle how complex the actual Transformer body composition was. With the Seekers chest armor off, she watched as some of the wires twitched with impulses. She looked towards his face; though their faces were harder to read, Anna could see a tired look on his face. "You can recharge," she said. "You're safe here."

"_Safe_?" he asked sarcastically. "Safe inside the _enemy_'s base?" He laughed at her naiveness. "Being in here is the least safest place in the universe for me." The Seeker turned his head and looked at her as if she were a child. A thought occurred to him. "I'm surprised those slags would let one of their precious humans come near a decepticon. Their so attached to their humans after all," he explained.

"Well at the moment, they don't _exactly_ see you as a threat," Anna informed him.

A fury began to build inside him at the human's words. "Not a threat!" he exclaimed in a shrill voice. Starscream's right hand clasped into a fist. _'Those slags have forgotten why they should respect me,' _he thought angrily. He didn't understand why the Autobots would think so little of him. He, Starscream, had single handily taken out Ironhide and Ratchet at the same time. "How could they forget me so easily?" he asked. The Seeker wanted answers, and he wanted them now!

She broke away from his gaze, and looked down at the floor. "They don't exactly think you're alive," Anna spoke. The girl bit on her lip, trying to think of the best way to explain this. "You're suppose to be dead."

_'Dead?! DEAD?!'_ he repeated. He felt a wave of panic overcome his emotions._ 'Get a grip on yourself,' _he shouted to himself. _'It's not like your actually dead.'_ His red optics widened with curiosity. "What did you mean by _'suppose'_?"

Anna kept looking away from him. She hated being the one being questioned, or hated being in the spotlight for that matter. "It's kind've a funny story," she told him. "A really funny story with a probably not-so funny ending."

"You didn't answer my question," he informed bitterly.

"You might not want to hear the answer," Anna replied. She glanced towards him. His face was much less scary now, more relaxed and calm._ 'Very Jetfire like,' _she thought.

Starscream's anger began to rise again with his frustration. "Well, are you going to tell me or not?" he asked bluntly. "I don't like to play mind games."

_'And very unlike Jetfire at the same time,' _Anna told herself. "Let me ask you this: did you ever know someone by the name of Skyfire?"

Starscream didn't know where she was going with this, but decided playing along with her game might be the only way to get some valuable information out of her. "Yes," he answered. "He used to be my best-friend long ago before the war."

"You're Jetfire's friend?!" she exclaimed. "The one who traveled with him to explore worlds?"

The Seeker nodded. "That very one."

Anna shook her head as she tried to make sense of what she just heard. "That can't be," she replied. "Jetfire told me his best-friend was _dead_ -- that he died in the war long, long ago."

He looked at the human with a surprised expression. "I don't know why Skyfire would tell you such lies," he stated, sounding confused. Starscream had never remembered Skyfire as one to tell lies. "He's known that I've been alive and well for the most part. Most autobots should be able to tell you that."

She looked down at the ground. "I can't believe he would do that," Anna whispered mainly to herself. She felt a sick pain in her stomach. It felt as if someone had stabbed her.

"He would do what?" asked Starscream impatiently.

The girl looked up at Starscream with a disturbed expression. She didn't want to believe it -- she couldn't believe it. Anna had known Jetfire since she was little, and never in those eleven years had she never thought that he could have a malicious intent inside of him. "Jetfire was the one who decided that you should die."

He didn't remember dying. Truth be told, he really didn't remember much except that one moment he was floating in space, and the next he was landing on Earth, almost out of energon. His head leaned forward, and stared at the table. Starscream took his right hand and touched his cockpit; where, buried somewhere underneath, was his spark. He closed his optics, trying to scrap together any memories of dying, but he found none. "Are sure they killed me?" the Seeker asked.

Anna nodded slowly. "I overheard Optimus and Jazz discussing with Simmons where they should move the body," she said neutrally. Her solemn eyes looked at his face. "But that doesn't matter since you're alive now."

"Ah, thank you," Starscream said sarcastically. "At least this time I'll be able to remember my death." He looked over at Anna with a displeased face. "Do you really think me being alive now will stop them from killing me again?"

"If they do, then I guess the Autobots have forgotten what they once stood for," she said solemnly.

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Jazz sat in the chair next to Optimus in the command room. His fingers raced across the digital keyboard at fast and steady pace. They had spent the past seven hours searching through file after file, checking every lead they could find on Starscream. So far the search had amounted to roughly nothing. Sure there was the basic files about Starscream from before the war and old reports that he and Jetfire had published about their scientific findings, but it did not aid them. The lieutenant sighed at the lack of progress. He placed his head on his right hand, and used his left hand to scroll down the page. Something caught his eye. "Yo Optimus, check dis out, big dawg," he said.

Optimus spun around in his chair. "What is it, Jazz?" he asked.

"It's Starscream," he explained. "He was spotted by our two dawgs, Mirage and Hound, fleeing from K5-62 five years ago."

"What would he be doing in an autobot base?" he asked mainly to himself.

"Dunno dawg," he replied. "But some serious shit went on there cause three groons later it blew sky high. And get dis, after it blew up, a half autobot, half decepticon symbol was found carved into the ground." From behind his optic visor, his optics scanned the rest of the page. "Wheeljack and Perceptor's bodies were never found."

Optimus was disturbed by what he heard. "Prowl never reported it to me," he stated.

"He didn't?" asked Jazz, stunned that his bondmate would keep something like this from their leader. It wasn't in Prowl's disposition to be deceptive like this. "Maybe it just slipped his mind. You know how the guy gets busy."

"Possibly," Optimus said, mauling over the idea. His blue optics looked at the screen. "What else does it say? Who filed the report?"

Jazz turned back to the screen, and read on. "It don't say which dawg filed da report," he stated. "And it don't say no more." He turned back to Optimus. "Maybe it was some rogue bots opposing da war? That would account for da weird symbol."

Optimus nodded. "That's very plausible. And if it was a rogue bombing, then Prowl may have dismissed it as nothing," he replied. "But it still doesn't account for not telling me why two of our brightest minds were not found."

The Lieutenant shrugged. "I dunno, dawg," Jazz said. "When do you talk to him next?"

"He's scheduled to talk to me in three days," their leader answered. "I'll bring it up then. In the mean time, see what else you can find."

"Yes, sir," the small autobot said, trying to be cheerful. Deep down in his spark, he felt something was wrong, _very_ wrong.

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The human had gone quiet for quite some time. She had sat in an indian style with her back slightly hunched as she leaned forward. Starscream didn't complain since he enjoyed silence. He had kept his optics closed because he found the light in this room to bright for comfort. He let out a deep breath. Fatigue and tiredness were tempting him to go recharge, but he couldn't recharge -- not here in the enemy's base.

"You know, Jetfire always spoke of you," Anna said quietly. She looked towards the decepticon. "He'd at least mention you once a day when he used to help me with my school work." She turned her head towards the door. "He _never_ once said anything bad about you; other than you would bite of more than you could chew."

The Seeker groaned as she began to talk again. His red eyes flashed tiredly towards her. "What's your point?" he asked bitterly.

Anna looked towards him, ignoring the bitterness of his stare. "It just surprises me that Jetfire's best-friend would be a decepticon," she replied. "I always thought his best-friend would be an autobot."

Starscream laughed lightly at her. "_Me_? An autobot?" he repeated mockingly. "I would rather be _dead_ than be one of those slags."

"You're just saying that because you're pissed that your their captive," Annabelle stated plainly.

"No, I'm pissed off because there is a brat who won't shut up," Starscream corrected.

"You aren't anything like Jetfire said," she commented.

"I'm glad that I'm not," he retorted. "Knowing him, as I do, he probably portrayed me as some tree-hugging scientist."

"You're wrong," she sneered. "He portrayed you as an intellectual scientist whom could have been one of the greatest to live." Annabelle's blue eyes narrowed down on Starscream. "I think he should have mentioned how much of an egotistical jerk you are. Primus! I would've let you stay dead then!"

"What did you think you were gonna get out of me by bringing me back to life?" he asked coldly.

She looked away. Anna didn't know how to answer the question.

"Well?" he demanded.

The girl pulled her legs close to her chest. "I do have a reason for doing this," she said quietly. "I just don't know if it's the right reason."

Starscream looked at her curiously. "If you have a good reason, then your actions are justified," he stated.

"You must rehearse that line a lot to yourself," Anna commented.

"What are you a shrink?" the Seeker asked bluntly.

"No, " she said. "I'm the kid who decided reviving an alien _might_ be fun to try."

The Seeker stifled a laugh. "You got a weird sense of humor."

"That's what my dad says," Anna replied. She smiled softly towards him. "Hold tight for a sec, kay?"

"Alright," Starscream responded weakly. He watched as the human got up and walked over the side of the table. Then all at once, she disappeared. The Seeker stood up straighter. He could barely make see her shadow. He could hear the sound of metal being pushed around. "What are our you doing?" he demanded.

"You'll see!" Anna called back.

The Seeker grumbled in frustration. He hated not knowing what was going on. He hated not being able to fold his arms; it felt so unnatural to not show his frustration. The Seeker slouched, as he thought what the human could be doing._ 'She's probably summoning her slags,' _he told himself. _'Or getting a gun of some sorts.' _

"God dammit," she muttered loudly. "Where the hell did you put it Rat?"

"What are you looking for?" the Seeker asked.

"You'll see!" she answered. "Ah, there you are."

The Seeker anxiously watched for her to return to the table. A sense of relief washed over him, soon followed by shame as he saw the human lift herself off the table. _'How sad, Screamer. You're scared of a human now,' _he criticized. His eyes looked suspiciously at a bag she held in her hand. "What's in your compartment?" he asked.

"You're really demanding," Anna said bluntly. "And you'll see." She cautiously walked towards him, still unsure about being this close to a decepticon. She moved towards his left leg, and took out one of the lumps from her plastic Walmart bag. It was a tiny black, circular object with a flat bottom. On the bottom was a cluster of sharp needles.

He eyed it cautiously, not sure of what it was. "What is that?" the Seeker asked.

"Why? Are you_ scared_?" Anna mocked.

"No," He lied bluntly.

"Good," she replied. Anna was now near the inner part of his left thigh.

Starscream growled as the girl touched up his bad leg. He shot her a painful glare. "What are you doing?" he demanded through gritted teeth.

Anna looked back at him. "I'm not gonna hurt you," she explained. "That would defeat the purpose of being you back to life." She held up the black object. "Ratchet invented these little things just for Ironhide. They help block out the pain by stopping electrical charges and impulses. It'll disable you from using your leg, but -" She glanced down at his leg. "It's already useless, so this thing won't hinder you."

"You swear that's what it does?" Starscream asked.

"I swear to Primus that is what it does," Anna reassured. "I swear on my honorary spark bestowed on me by Rat." She looked down at his leg, searching for the main circuit. The human tried to gently move move past the wires in front of the circuit. "This is gonna sting," she warned. Anna lifted one of the wires before jamming the energy breaker into the main circuit. She quickly took out the other energy breaker, and jammed it into the circuit as well.

The Seeker winced as she touched his wires. He growled at the sharp pain. His read eyes narrowed down at the girl. He started to raise his right arm, and Anna began to back away at the same time. Starscream had his nullray at a fearful Anna. "You lied," he snarled.

Anna backed away slowly, preparing herself to run when needed. "I did not!" she protested. "Just give it a minute!" A strange humming sound filled the air. Her blue eyes became large as she realized the sound came from his nullray. She felt a scream begin to build in her throat.

Starscream lowered his nullray. "Fine," he said. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt _only_ because you revived me." His red eyes looked down at his leg. "Why does Ironhide need these in the first place?"

"Because he's the _biggest_ pain in the ass to treat," Anna said wearily. "Plus he's older, so he's got some old scars that still bother him. But mainly Ratchet made them to disable Ironhide's injured limb or limbs since he's got a bad habit of ignoring Ratchet's directions."

"Sounds like him," he said unenthusiastically.

Her eyes lit up at his words. "You knew 'Hide?" Anna asked eagerly.

The Seeker nodded. "Met in the Crystal City Medical Bay after a failed mission."

"That must've been before the war then," she said.

"It was," Starscream replied in a monotone.

"What was he like?" she asked.

"The same," he replied. "Only now he has an excuse to kick my ass."

She laughed lightly. "I didn't know you had a sense of humor."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," he stated.

"Like what?"

"Like things you don't need to know," he snapped.

She opened her mouth to talk, but the sound of the door opening stopped her. Anna spun around to see Ratchet standing in the door way with a shocked expression. "Annabelle!" he yelled. "Ironhide! Optimus! Jazz! _Someone_!" The medic reached for his saw.

Starscream raised his nullray, and aimed it at the medic.

She looked over at Starscream, then back at the autobot. "Ratchet! Stop!" shouted Annabelle.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the halls. Ironhide and Jazz appeared instantly behind, followed by Optimus and the twins.

"Get your grabby li'l claws off of her, deceptipunk!" shouted Jazz.

Ironhide aimed both of his canons at Starscream. "You bastards just don't die," he growled.

Optimus aimed his own gun at the decepticon. "Put it down Starscream," he said sternly. "You're out numbered."

The twins raised both their guns towards Starscream. "Bring it on, sky bitch," they shouted together.

Starscream glare at them, but refused to surrender.

"Just put it down Starscream," said a familiar voice.

The decepticon's optics flashed disgustingly and hatefully towards the largest among the autobots. "Skyfire," he sneered. "What a pleasure to see my old friend."

The black autobot moved past the small crowd of 'bots, and into the room. He raised his own gun towards Starscream's cockpit. "I'm _not_ your friend," the autobot retorted. Jetfire extended his free hands towards Annabelle. His hand curled around her protectively as she stepped onto him. Not once did the deep, murky blue eyes leave Starscream. Jetfire backed away slowly until he was safely behind Ratchet.

"You two watch him," ordered Ironhide. "And if he tries any funny business, shoot his ass till he looks like hamburger meat."

The twins nodded with wide and devilish grins. They walked inside the room, each one taking a spot on the other side of the door frame. The door closed behind them. Both of them gripped their weapons tightly as they eagerly waited for an opportunity to shoot him.

Starscream regretfully lowered his nullray, and stared at them with a smirk on his face. Even in his battered condition, he wouldn't let them have the satisfaction of knowing how much his body hurt.

On the other side of the door, Ironhide and the rest of the autobots looked disappointingly at Annabelle. She turned her head away from them, and looked down at the ground. Staring at their shadows was so much easier than looking them in the face. Her eyes closed as she heard Optimus speak.

"Annabelle Leann Lennox," Optimus Prime lectured in an forbiddingly calm voice. "What have you done?"


	5. Chapter 5

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** i haven't forgotten about the story. e.e life has been hectic lately -- especially with school beginning to wind down. hopefully the chapter will make up for my absence.

**replies:**

dixiegurl13,, you'll be seeing more. ;3 && they'll be more, i promise.

tlcoopi7,, i'm glad you did.:] i was so worried that i would fail there in that last chapter.

autobot alythia,, -nods in agreement- RUN!! -hides in fortress-

**pairings:** starscreamxannabelle vs. ironhidexannabelle; what a twisted little triangle of love.

**disclaimer:** i do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

_"this is com-link, or whatever the heck it is called these days."_

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She sighed as her blue eyes stared over the picture. She took in every detail as if they were the last pieces of gold on earth. Sarah stared at the picture of her three year-old daughter hugging a german shepherd lab mix puppy. Her thumb traced the outline of her daughter's smile. It was so - so - so genuinely innocent. A smile slipped onto her face. Luke (also known as Lulu to Annabelle) was in her daughter's arms growling at the camera man. Even at such a young age, the six-month old puppy would have gladly given his life to protect his master. She placed the picture down as her eyes looked at another picture a year from then. Her blue eyes looked at the pre-school picture of Annabelle. She was still so happy. Sarah's eyes continued to at Annabelle's pre-school pictures. She silently thanked the retired friend and teacher for taking so many pictures of her students; which the teacher would use later on for the students to make a scrapbook of their first year of school. For every event that they visited, or any craft they made, their old friend had taken extra pictures so that Sarah could send them to Will.

Sarah's eyes immediately stopped as she stared at a picture of her daughter with the puppy Lulu again. Annabelle and Lulu were surrounded by other kids from her who decided to bring their dogs to the park as well -- it was their last field trip in pre-school. Lulu, of course, was standing protectively next to Annabelle and barking at the teacher for taking a picture of his master. Annabelle sat next to him, hugging him around the neck. She smiled, but it wasn't like the other pictures. It was a forced smile.

She glanced at the picture next to that one. Annabelle stood in front of the infamous, almost beastly looking black truck. She stood in front of the truck beaming with happiness. Sarah could still remember how giggly and demanding she had been in order to get a picture of her with the truck.

Sarah looked at the other pictures that followed. It was the first time she had noticed a pattern among the photographs. Any picture that didn't involve having a camaro, black truck, pontiac solstice, yellow emergency vehicle, or a semi-truck with a red and blue color scheme would lack the genuineness of a happy child. But any picture that did have one of those special cars would be showered in happiness. Sarah looked out at the dawning sun through the living room window. A few stars still glittered in the deep purple and blue sky. _'Starlight Star bright --the first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might -- have the wish I wish tonight,' _she thought to herself.

She whipped her head around at the sound of Ironhide's engine. Sarah glanced at the clock. _6:58 a.m._ Her face immediately drained of all color. Any time Ironhide showed up to their house at odd hours meant something horrible had happened to Anna. She grabbed her robe and walked out to the front door. The absent sound of country playing made her stomach do a back flip. Ironhide was always playing country music. _Always. _

Sarah hesitantly opened the screen door, and regretfully stepped onto the porch. Ironhide remained stationary in his vehicular disguise. "Isn't it a bit early to be driving?" she asked a little _too_ jokingly.

"Not when you've been up all night talking with the government," Ironhide replied bluntly.

As if her stomach wanted to do an encore, it did another flip. "Is Will -- "

"Will's fine," the truck said shortly.

"Then what's -- "

"It's Annabelle," he answered. "Simmons is trying to try her for treason."

Sarah grabbed the white railing that trimmed the porch. Her stomach began to plummet and twist itself. She tried to catch her breath, but lungs refused to move. "_Treason_? _Annabelle_?" she spoke aloud, trying to put the two together.

"I'll explain on the way," he said. Before he could open the passenger door, Sarah was already in the seat buckling herself in safely.

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Annabelle had always loved being daddy's little girl. She loved seeing him when he would return from his duties for those few short weeks. She went as far as to plan her schedule around the time he would be home. But this time, Annabelle didn't welcome him home with a bear hug. Instead she stood next to Jetfire -- whom might as well had been a cold ghost. She averted her gaze -- she didn't want to see the disappointment on her father's face as he approched. Anna ran her tongue over her braces, counting each piece of metal in her mouth. It was a poor distraction that didn't ease her mind. The sound of her father's boots echoing off the walls made the girl cringe. His footsteps weren't alone. The sound of Prime and Ratchet's followed closely behind. Four against one. Never good odds.

Will himself couldn't believe he was in this position. Ever since he had gotten the word five hours ago, he had been stunned. No matter how many times Optimus has repeated the story, he couldn't wrap his mind around it. Annabelle was his daughter, and doing something like this was (in his world) equivalent to someone getting attacked by a butterfly It just didn't happen.

His brown eyes looked his daughter. She'd look like she hadn't slept in hours, nor looked like she had never seen the sun before in her life. A couple bruises were on her arms; which he concluded were from playing with the twins at some place where they shouldn't have been in the first place. Annabelle looked like the only thing she had done to clean herself up was put on a fresh pair of jeans and a tattered brown hoodie.

Major Lennox let out a deep breath. He was still on duty, but the general protocol to unleash his fury on a traitor clashed with his feelings as a father. By all means if she were someone else, Annabelle would've been taken immediately to a high security facility. It was only because she was daughter -- _his_ perfect li'l daughter -- that she was able to stay here.

He let out a deep breath. Lennox looked at his daughter, trying to figure out what would have pushed her over the edge to lead her to do something so - so horrible. His natural reaction would have been to protect her like any parent would. At the same time, he saw a traitor stand before him. It was a torn and awkward moment for Will because he didn't know how approach his daughter. He cleared his throat and looked towards Optimus. "Where's Simmons?" he asked in a hollow voice.

"Present and accounted for," replied Reggie. He strutted towards the group with his signature scowl planted across his face. He looked towards the major with an unpleased look. "They only sent you?" he asked bitterly. "Isn't that being a bit easy on our traitor?"

He glared towards the agent, and held back the urge to punch him out. How dare he talk like that in front of his daughter. "She can hear you," he spat. Will had no respect for someone he considered an egotistical asshole.

"Just saying," he retorted.

"Perhaps we should have Annabelle speak first," Optimus said more as a command than a suggestion. His blue optics flashed towards the hunched over Annabelle.

Jetfire looked down at the human. He, like Annabelle's father, was stunned himself to be in this situation. He had known Annabelle since she was six years, but now he felt as if he had just met her. The stillness of her silence was what made him stare at Annabelle. "You're suppose to speak now," he said a little _too_ bluntly.

"Why speak when I've done nothing wrong?" Anna said calmly.

"Done nothing wrong?" asked a hysterical Simmons. His brown eyes narrowed down on the girl. "You can't be serious."

"I am," she stated. She slowly lifted her head, but did not look at any of them. Anna focused on the door at the far end of the hall. She could imagine the warm weather that lay behind the door. The thought of the warm weather was the happiest thought in her head at the moment.

"Annabelle," Will spoke in a stern and disappointed voice. His blue eyes fixed on his daughter. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words would not come out. The Major closed his mouth.

She looked towards Will with a new fierce look on her face. "Are you really that speechless, Dad?" Anna asked rhetorically. The teenager folded her arms across her chest. "And since when do you call me Annabelle?"

Will had always loved his daughter for her fierce attitude -- it reminded her of him -- but at other times he hated it. "Don't you dare talk to me like that," he warned.

"Like what? Are you hear as my dad, or as a major?" she snapped.

"It doesn't what I'm here as," he stated through clenched teeth. "You don't disrespect someone like that."

"Oh yes it does," she replied. "If you're hear as my dad, then I can at least BS my way out of trouble."

He looked at his daughter. He couldn't believe what she just said. Had she always been this defiant? Will's clenched his right hand as anger surged through his body. The Major no longer saw a helpless child. Through his brown eyes he saw _another _criminal; but unlike other criminals, she came from a perfectly normal family. "Annabelle Leann Lennox - "

"You are under arrest," Simmons finished. He felt the eyes as the others looked at him. He took out a pair of handcuffs, and looked at Annabelle with a smug look. His shoes made a light squeaking noise as he walked towards her. "You have the right to remain silent." He grabbed her left arm and pulled it towards him. "Anything you say can and wi - "

_CRRRRRACK!!!_

Everyone watched with wide eyes as Simmons stumbled backwards holding both hands over his nose. Blood dribbled down his face and onto the spotless floor. His brown eyes hatefully flashed towards Annabelle -- who stood proudly.

"Annabelle!?" exclaimed Jetfire.

Ratchet, who had felt more comfortable remaining silent, rushed towards Simmons. "Here," he said, offering help.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!!!" Reggie shouted. Painfully, he took his hand away from his nose and glowered at the girl.

"Mikaela taught me that one," she replied smugly. Bending down, the girl picked up the handcuffs and twirled them from her index finger.

Will looked disgustingly towards his daughter, but inside a small little piece of him was proud of her. She had done what he had always wanted to do to Simmons.

"You!" Reggie raised his bloodied hand. "You little bitch! Oh! You're gonna get it now! I'll make sure of it!" The agent looked towards Will. "Arrest her Major!"

"I'm not going anywhere until you have a warrant for my arrest," Anna replied sternly.

"ARREST HER!" the older man yelled again.

Lennox didn't argued with Simmons this time. He walked towards his daughter, who stood strangely still, and yanked the handcuffs out of her hand. Will roughly put his daughter's limp arms behind her. The sound of handcuffs clicking mad him flinch.

"Will!"

He raised his head at the sound of his name being shouted. He watched as Sarah ran down the hallway in the fuzzy blue bath robe he had bought her on their honeymoon. He couldn't believe she still kept it. "Sarah? What are you - "

"What's going - " she began to asked. Her steel blue eyes darted towards her daughter. From her angle, the panicked mother could see the handcuffs on her daughter. "Oh Annabelle!" she exclaimed. Sarah moved in between Will and Annabelle. Her arms moved protectively over her daughter. "What are you doing!?" she shouted angrily at him.

"He's following orders, Mrs. Lennox," Simmons said sourly.

"Following orders!" she retorted. "You call these orders!" Her eyes looked down at her daughter. "She's a kid for god sake's! Not some murderer like O.J."

"Maybe you haven't been briefed - "

"Oh, I've been briefed, Simmons," Sarah spat. "And I know for a fact that there is no way Anna could've revived _him._"

She tried to wiggle herself free from Sarah, but her mother's grip only tightened. "Mom!" protested Anna.

"It's okay Anna," Sarah reassured. "Your father and I won't let anything happen to you. Right Will?" She looked towards Will, but he didn't reassuringly look back at her. "Will?!"

"Sarah," he explained. "Annabelle was the only one in the room. She's the only one who could've done it."

Her right eye began to lightly twitched as her husband spoke. "She's your daughter for god sake!" she shouted.

"And she also committed an act of treason," Reggie justified.

"I don't want to hear a thing from you!" Sarah lashed. "You and your agency would kill your own if ordered to. Besides, how could Anna have revived him?" Her deadly gaze suddenly turned to Jetfire. "More likely he did it! He did have a connection to him!"

The autobots looked at Jetfire. Each of them knew about he and Starscream's history with each other. Even though Jetfire had been on their side for the past thousand years, there was still skepticism among many of them. Optimus Prime found himself wondering if Jetfire would do it in hopes of paying back Starscream for reviving him.

She went wide eyed as her mother accused Jetfire of treachery. Anger at her mother's accusation gave her enough strength to break away from Sarah's grip. "Mom!" shouted Annabelle. "Jetfire didn't do it!"

"Honey, it's okay," Sarah said. "You don't need to be taking the blame for a traitor."

"You aren't saying anything Jetfire. Most would be defending themselves," Optimus stated. "Why aren't you?"

"Optimus, you know me. You and the rest know I would never do such a thing," Jetfire reassured. "It's scientifically, logically, and morally impossible for me to bring him back. There is no reason why I would do it."

"Not even one?" Will inquired.

"Not one," Jetfire reassured.

"_Liar_!" spat Simmons. "I know you _and_ she were both on it!"

Sarah's eyes looked down at her daughter. "Anna, are you okay?" she asked. Her eyes watched as her daughter leaned against the wall.

Annabelle shook her head. "I think I'm gonna be sick," she muttered.

"I'd better take her to the Med bay," Ratchet said calmly. He looked down at Simmons. "Do you want to come? I can fix your nose."

"I'm fine!" Reggie snapped bitterly. "It's just a li'l bloody nose."

"But my - "

"I don't care what they indicate. I'm fine," he retorted.

Ratchet fought back the urge to glare at him. He gently lifted Anna into his hand. Already he was curious why she would be feeling ill. She had no physical signs of being ill. But perhaps the problem lay with one of her emotions. From what he had learned, emotions could cause humans to feel ill.

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Starscream reluctantly laid on his backside. His red optics stared blankly up at the white ceiling. Over the course of around seven earth hours, he had come to hate the color white. He knew that white was suppose to stand for neutrality and a sense of stability, but it didn't help to calm him. All the seeker saw was a bland color that annoyed him. If anything, he wanted to go crazy and paint it all thirteen colors of the visible spectrum. The thought of such a childish act reminded him of Skywarp. A small smile crept onto his face. Skywarp, for all the trouble he caused, did help relieve the stress and tension he felt when he had worked.

The smile on his face quickly vanished. The last time Starscream had seen Skywarp, ended with him yelling at Skywarp for being a childish slag who would accomplish nothing in his life. The Seeker let out a deep breath. What if he never saw Skywarp again? Would Skywarp remember him for what he last said to him? Starscream decided if he could, he would go back in time and change that. Suddenly, he felt a sharp thud against his arm. He looked down and saw a wretch (which hadn't been there before) on the floor.

"Will you stop your murmuring!?" shouted an annoyed Sideswipe. "It's annoying and creepy."

The Seeker rolled his head towards the twins. He immediately met their gaze with his own glare. Starscream didn't know he was murmuring. "I'll stop murmuring when you two leave," he breathed hatefully.

The red autobot huffed before turning to his brother. "Can we just kill him already?" he begged. "It's not like anyone will notice that he's gone."

"The problem isn't that we can't kill him," Sunstreaker corrected. "It's if we _may_ kill him."

"Oh shut up. I don't need an english lesson," Sideswipe sneered.

"If you're english was as perfect as mine, then maybe I wouldn't have to correct you," the yellow retorted.

Starscream turned his head away from the twins as they continued to bicker about who's english was better. He really didn't care since he considered the language inferior, and in the broad scheme of things, irrelevant. The only reason he even decided to learn it was to blend into the human society.

His mind drifted back to what Sideswipe had said. Had anyone noticed that he was gone? Surely Barricade or that stupid pet of Blackout's would have noticed he was gone. They both should've received his message that he was returning to earth and going to meet them. They would, or better, should've noticed his absence. After all, both of those two slags knew Starscream was big on being punctual. _'But if they were truly loyal to you, like they had been to Megatron, then they would have found you by now,' _Starscream thought. He clenched his working hand into a fist. _'And Scorponok is loyal to Blackout, and Blackout is loyal to Megatron. So he might not have searched for me, but surely Barricade.' _His hope that Barricade was searching for him at this very moment was extinguished. Barricade was a loner. The only reason Barricade had joined the decepticon cause was because no body probed into his past. Everyone left him alone. _'Primus, every body leaves every body alone. No one goes out of their way to make allies just for the - '_His thoughts were cut off at the sound of the door opening. Curiously, the Seeker turned to watch the medical officer walk in with the li'l brat in his hand.

"What's wrong with Anna?" both of the twins asked in unison.

"And what's with the cuffs?" Sideswipe added dumbly.

His blue optics glared at them for asking dumb, insensitive questions. "You two out," Ratchet barked. He had no patience for them; and knowing them, they probably had made a mess out of his medical bay.

"Sheesh, no reason to be all pissy," Sunstreaker remarked sourly. He obediently left the room with his brother following behind him wearily.

The medic immediately shut the door behind them. Turning his attention back to Annabelle, he gently placed her on the nearest table. "What's wrong Anna?" he asked suspiciously.

Almost instantly, she snapped out of her sick state. She looked up at Ratchet with scared and saddened face. "Please don't be mad at me," she spoke softly. "But Jetfire didn't do it."

"Anna, what are you talking about?" Ratchet asked.

"I should've given it to Ironhide when I found it," she explained. "But I didn't."

"Give what?" the old bot asked impatiently.

Annabelle bit her lip nervously. "I found a piece of the Allspark," she confessed.

Ratchet's optics grew large. "What!!! Where?"

"In the warehouse that I found Scream in," Anna said. "There was a li'l pile there and I found a piece. I put it in my pocket. Then I used it to revive _him_." She pointed towards the Seeker.

"You went through my pieces?!" asked an wrathful Starscream. "Where's the piece you stole now?!"

The medical officer ignored the decepticon's overreaction. "Yes, Anna. Where is it?" Ratchet asked in a calmer voice.

"I dropped it," she said innocently.

"Where?" Ratchet and Starscream asked in unison.

"Well you have his spark chamber exposed, so I held out the piece. Some crazy lightening thingy came from it, and it scared me," Anna informed. "So I dropped it next to his spark chamber, and ran away before his cockpit could squish me."

"And this is the truth Anna?" Ratchet asked sternly like a parent.

She nodded.

"Oh my Primus, Annabelle," Ratchet said astonished. He pressed his hand to his temples before dragging his hand down his face. The medic closed his eyes briefly before sighing.

"Please don't be mad," she asked again.

Ratchet looked down at her. He didn't see a traitor as Simmons and Will saw, nor did he see her as a small child like Sarah did. The medic saw something else -- something good -- but how to describe it, he didn't know how. "I'm not mad," he said bluntly. "I'm just -- stunned." The neon-yellow 'bot turned around and began to head towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Anna asked.

"Just stay here," the medic said firmly. "And don't do anything."

Starscream watched as Ratchet left the room. His eyes quickly turned to the human. There was a small sliver of satisfaction when he saw her hands in handcuffs. He quickly stopped staring when she began to stare back at him.

"How's the leg?" Anna asked harmlessly.

"What?" he asked.

"You're leg." She pointed with her head to his left leg. "Is it better."

"Yeah I guess," Starscream said blankly. He looked down at his injured leg. The little contractions she had put in, really did eliminate the pain. Even though he wouldn't admit it, he was grateful that she had put them in.

"You're welcome," she replied.

The Seeker looked at her with a confused expression. He hadn't said thanks, but yet she replied with good manners.

"You're not that hard to figure out," Annabelle answered. "You're kind've like Ironhide -- _too_ proud to admit something was good for you."

"You don't know that," he retorted.

The human rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say."

There was an awkward silence that followed. It wasn't even the awkward silence the Seeker was used to. His optics constantly wandered around the room, searching for something to concentrate on, but he couldn't find anything to focus his mind on. He could feel the beginning signs of nervousness begin to build up in his circuits. Finally, his optics once again rested on the human. Starscream watched as she stared blankly at the floor. To him, she seemed distant. "So," he began. He thought small talk could possibly help ease the nervousness he felt. "Have they asked you why you did it?"

Anna raised her head as the Seeker made small talk. "Not really," she replied. "Even if they did, it's not like I would tell them."

"Why not?" he asked for the sake of being curious.

The girl looked the Seeker in the eye. "Because why speak when no one will listen?" she asked a little _too_ bluntly.

Starscream stared back at her. He was surprised by her answer. Turning his head away from her, he looked back up at the ceiling. "I know how that is," he replied softly.

"You do?" she asked astonished.

He nodded.

She kept her blue eyes focused on him. A soft smile tugged at her lips. It felt like she saw sunlight for the first time -- more like a sense of security. "Then would you be willing to listen?" Anna inquired.


	6. Chapter 6

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** got this one out on time! :D -throws confetti- i should start updating regularly now, but i won't promise anything since i don't want to jinx my good luck. -guards good luck- && wow, i believe this is my quickest update ever! -throws confetti again- HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY. HOPE IT'S FILLED WITH LOTS OF COLORFUL EGGS. ^^

**replies:**

autobot alythia,, thanks. ^^ && yeah. it's been pretty intense. hopefully this chapter will help to relieve some of that. :3 at least a tiny bit.

tlcoopi7,, yes, yes he is, but that is what makes him so much fun to mess with. xD

trans 7.4.7. formers,, -smiles evilly- hopefully this will satisfy your cliffhanger. i'm glad you love the story. && i know how you feel, lol. i just wanna go ring a few of their necks. i'm such an evil author for thinking about my characters like that. xD

inspire165,, thanks. ^^ i'm glad you love the story. && yay! i'm getting their personalities down. -dances- hopefully this chapter will add to the story's growing plotline. c:

x-whitemagic58-X,, i sent you a reply via e-mail. ^^ && don't worry. i had to look up annabelle up myself (via movie and internet) when i first read a few fanfictions. so don't feel bad. c: but anyway, if anyone else is curious, annabelle lennox is the child of will lennox; you only saw like a couple few second scenes of her as a baby in the movie.

**pairings:** starscreamxannabelle vs. ironhidexannabelle; what a twisted little triangle of love.

**disclaimer:** i do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

_"this is com-link, or whatever the heck it is called these days."_

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"Will, I can't believe you would arrest your own daughter!" screamed Sarah. "Who's side are you on anyway?!"

"Sarah calm down," Optimus suggested. "William was only following orders."

The woman turned towards Optimus with a wild gaze. "You are just as responsible for this as him!" she snapped. "If you had kept better locks on your doors, then my daughter wouldn't be in this mess!"

The Major grabbed his wife by her left biceps. "Sarah!" Will shouted. He looked her in the eye. "It's no one's fault other than Annabelle's. She knew what she was doing. She knew the consequences."

Yanking herself free, the woman glowered back at him. "She's just a child, Will! She isn't mature enough to know the consequences of her actions," she explained quickly. "Maybe if you had been home more, she wouldn't have to be acting so wild to get your attention."

"My attention?" Will asked bewildered.

"Yes, you're attention," Sarah retorted. "You're never home. Have you ever thought how that's affected your daughter? How it's affected me?!" She watched as her husband gave his full attention to her. "You don't know what it's been like raising Annabelle on my own."

"On your own?!" exclaimed an irritated Will. "You make it sound like all I've done is sit around on my ass."

"Well you have when it comes to taking care of your family," she remarked sourly.

"I've been protecting you and the rest of America," he yelled. "I've been on the front lines serving, and this is how you thank me?"

"Protecting and caring for are two different words, Will," she shouted.

"Will you two shut the fuck up," Simmons bellowed. "You can have your little family feud later." His hazel eyes watched as Sarah turned around and began to walk away from them. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to get my daughter, and then take her home where she belongs," she remarked. "And if I have too, I'll get a lawyer." She took one last look at Will. "You're either with me, or against me, Major WIlliam Lennox. Which will it be?"

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Starscream couldn't believe what words came out of her little fleshy mouth. With a groan, he lifted himself into an up-right sitting position. He carefully looked at her, making sure she wasn't trying to pull some evil prank on him, but when he looked, he saw she meant it. Once more, he saw something he hadn't seen in a long time -- genuine trust. "Now why would I do that?" the Seeker asked bitterly.

Annabelle sighed. "I guess not." She looked down at the ground with her eyes glazed over in sadness. "I just thought . . ."

"Thought what?" he demanded.

"Never mind," she mumbled. Anna sighed heavily. "Wanna play a game then?"

"A what?" The Seeker looked at the girl as if she were a freak. "Why would you play a game with your enemy? Isn't that against the rules?"

She let out another sigh. With a roll of her eyes, Anna looked to the Seeker. "Do I really have to explain this again?" she asked rhetorically. "First, I've pretty much broken the biggest rule in all of the base. Secondly, have you forgotten that I have a weird sense of what is fun, already? Because apparently you have. Thirdly, why would you be my enemy?" She slowly scooted herself around to face him from the front. "As far as I see it, we're both prisoners to the autobots."

Starscream gave a skeptic sneer. "You're only a prisoner now," he retorted. "In a few hours you'll be released." His optics drifted to the floor. "The autobots are merciful like that," he mumbled.

"If the autobots were so merciful, then why did one of them not step in to save your life?" she snapped matter-of-factly. "Besides, you can't always see every chain."

He looked down at the human curiously. "Explain," he demanded.

"What do I get in return?" she asked quickly.

"What?" Starscream replied.

"You heard me," Annabelle stated. "What will I get in return if I tell you?"

He looked down at her, trying to figure out what was wrong with her head. Any other human he would have encountered, would've been running, but she didn't even seem intimidated by his odd form. _'It's probably from being domesticated by the autobots.'_ he thought. Oddly enough she was bargaining with him, but what as more disturbing, he was willing to bargain with her. Holding back a sigh, the Seeker said plainly, "I'll listen." The last thing he wanted to do in this world was to listen to a little brat complain about her li'l earth problems.

The girl looked at him suspiciously. "But _can_ you listen?" she asked skeptically.

"If you mean if I can read in between the lines," Starscream said. "Then yes. I'm the _king_ of reading in between the lines." He watched as she smiled brightly at him. "What?" he asked bitterly.

"Nothing," she replied. Annabelle closed her eyes as she shook her head softly from side-to-side. "_Nothing _at all."

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Unbeknown to Will and Sarah, Ironhide had been around the corner listening. his head was bowed to his chest in disappointment. Just when Annabelle needed the stable support from her family the most, Sarah and Will had to go into _another_ argument. The old 'bot discontentedly sighed. _'Why are humans so short-sighted, Primus?'_ he asked silently.

"Ironhide!" called an exhausted woman. "Ironhide where are you?"

The old soldier raised his head at the sound of his earth name. Sarah's stressed voiced would usually cause him to rush to her aid, but instead he found himself standing still and unresponsive. Part him wanted to go to Sarah and comfort her, but a greater part was furious at her. Sarah had turned the conversation away from Annabelle to herself. _'Humans are selfish,'_ he told himself.

"Ironhide?" she called again.

The black autobot looked towards the sound of the direction. He should've answered the call by now, but instead he found himself moving away from it. _'I'm sorry Sarah,' _he thought remorsefully. _'But I can't let you ruin Anna's well-being anymore.' _He painfully closed his eyes.

"Ironhide? Answer me!"

Quietly the autobot crept away. He knew the consequences that would follow for not answering, but Anna had to come first. He was like her guardian (or at least he felt responsible enough to be considered her guardian), and like a good guardian he had to protect _his_ human from danger. He just didn't expect that the danger would come in the form of a close friend.

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"So, are you going to explain or not?" Starscream asked impatiently.

"Well are you demanding," Anna replied bluntly. "I thought I was only a pathetic fleshy."

"You are a pathetic fleshy," the Seeker informed demeaningly. "But you're more interesting that staring at the ceiling."

"Aw, thanks for the compliment," she said sarcastically.

His optics irritatingly narrowed down on her. Starscream didn't enjoy how she seemed to want to open up, but kept avoiding her chance. It was cowardly -- it was like him. For all the genuine trust he had first seen on her face, she was full of distrust. "Look," he said more calmly. "I'll listen. I won't make a sneer or an insult so long as you tell me."

Annabelle's skeptical look on her face was replaced by a brighter, _almost_ happier face. "Okay," she replied cooly. "But before I tell you, I need to know something."

"What?"

"This is only between you and me," Anna stated firmly. "No one else can ever know this."

Starscream looked wearily down at her. "Why only between us?" he inquired.

The girl's head immediately dropped. Her loose hair fell over her face. She looked as if she was shameful for what she was about to say. "Because I don't want to lose any more of my family," Anna muttered. She shut her eyelids close. "I don't want to end up alone and forgotten."

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Will glowered as his wife went off to find Ironhide. Turning his back to her, he looked at the others. "Sorry," he said in a voice that meant he didn't really mean it.

"You need to learn how to keep your personal life separated from your career, Major," Simmons spoke sternly. "It wouldn't look good on your record."

_'I'd like to see how you balance that out yourself,' _he thought angrily. He looked towards Optimus. "So," he said plainly. "What are we going to do about Starscream?"

"We're going to destroy him," Jetfire interrupted quickly.

"I believe he was talking to Optimus, _traitor_," Reggie scorned.

The black autobot looked apologetically at their leader. "I'm sorry for interrupting," he said. "But Starscream cannot be revived. You've seen just how much damage he can do. Imagine if Bumblebee hadn't been where he had been in the battle, Optimus? Like Ratchet said, Bumblebee was _extremely _lucky that he hadn't suffered any life-threatening wounds." He immediately bent down to looked at the humans. "And next time, it might not only be the raptor pilots who lose their lives, Sir." His eyes flicked to the major before glancing down the hallway. "And I'm not just talking about the humans right here."

His head dropped slightly. "You mean Annabelle," Will said softly.

Jetfire nodded. A new, more distraught look was spread across his face. This was the closest Jetfire had ever been to begging since he joined the autobot cause. "And Ratchet told me that when we took on Annabelle, you did not assign her a guardian," he explained. "At the time I can see why you didn't. We were safe, and no one knew the whereabouts of the Lennox family. So we had no need for her to have a guardian; especially when she would be in the care of _all _of us. But now someone does, and because of that, we can no longer sit around like lazy bums!" Even though he was the largest of the autobots, he felt tiny when he looked at Optimus. "Sir, with Starscream revived, it's only a matter of time before he contacts Barricade. If he contacts that decepticon, then they could begin to unleash another wave of attacks. Unlike the first time, they don't have a reason to fight except to get revenge for you destroying the cube. Imagine, a battalion of the deadliest decepticons coming to earth."

"Isn't that a bit extreme?" Simmons asked skeptically. "It sounds like something that would come from _War of the Worlds_."

The SR-71 'bot looked down at the older human with an unpleasant glare. "You've never seen the worst the decepticons have to offer," he Jetfire remarked bitterly. "You haven't seen what damage the decepticons can cause when they put their minds to it." Despite having optics for eyes, you could see the pain within them. You could see the fear in his eyes. "They are relentless, and if Starscream comes back into power, then they will have an one of the most ambitious 'cons for a leader -- even more so than Megatron."

"They couldn't get here that quickly," Will suggested. "After all, it took you what? Several, upon _several _thousands of years. It would give us time to prepare for an attack."

"Major Lennox," Optimus said. "If we weren't searching, we could easily get here within a two-hundred, maybe one hundred years or so. That's if you do not account for the number of Decepticons that could already be in this solar system still in hiding."

"Even quicker if they built a space bridge," Jetfire interjected.

"A space bridge?" the Major asked.

"Did you ever see the show _Stargate_?" Optimus asked.

"The portal they use has the same basic concept of a space bridge," Jetfire informed. "Only when we build space bridges, they are _massive_."

"How quickly could they get here if they built a space bridge?" Will inquired.

"It would be instant," Optimus replied.

"I'm still amazed you didn't give the Annabelle girl a guardian," Simmons remarked.

"There was no need to have a guardian," he explained. "With Annabelle basically raised in the comfort of all the autobots, we didn't need a single guardian. She was always with one of them." The Major sighed. Will sighed before looking up at the autobot leader. "What about Annabelle?" he asked. "Isn't there anyone that could be Annabelle's guardian?"

Optimus shook his head. "Not that I can think of," he said solemnly. "We'll need as many soldiers as possible."

"Not even Ironhide?" he asked more hopeful.

"Ironhide doesn't have the patience to sit on the sideline, nor do I think he would enjoy being Anna's guardian," Jetfire informed. "Besides, he would be needed for every battle."

"Why not the twins?" the Major inquired. "Surely, behind their childish attitude, is the chance to be a good guardian. Perhaps they could even mature a bit."

Simmons laughed cooly at Will's statement. "You make it sound like she'll be walking the streets," he remarked. "Have you forgotten that she'll be in jail rotting for the rest of her life. After all, she would've been the one to set all these bad things in motion."

His eyes narrowed hatefully down on Reggie. "What Annabelle did was wrong," he stated coldly. "But I don't think she would mean for all these things to happen. Besides, it's all theoretical."

"Actually there is a high chance that this could happen," Jetfire said.

"Listen to the super computer," Reggie commented.

"And look what you would've done to Sam," Will countered. "You would've had him locked up as well! If he had been locked up, then we might not be here. If it wasn't for Sam, then the human race could be dust in the wind."

"That was luck," Reggie snapped.

"Then I guess it was only luck that Annabelle hit you square in the nose," Will retorted.

"What's done is done," Optimus spoke. "We cannot change that, and there is no reason to fight over what we cannot change." His blue optics narrowed sternly down upon the humans. "To compensate for Annabelle's act, I'll contact Acree and Cliffjumper. They should still be in the solar system. With their help, we can construct the space bridge even faster, and therefore send troops here faster to protect Earth."

"You're just going to let Annabelle walk free?" Reggie inquired.

"I will deal with Annabelle personally," the leader spoke.

"What about Starscream?" Jetfire asked.

"I'll have Ratchet disable his weaponry and communication systems," he answered. "Afterwards, we'll move him to the holding cell in the basement. Maybe some time in solitary confinement will make him useful to us."

"Keller won't be happy to hear this," Simmons muttered.

"Nor will the army," the Major added.

"It does not matter what they think," Optimus replied. "All that matters is the safety of your species."

The agent looked towards Will. "I suppose you came with your own way back?" he asked smugly.

"No," he answered.

"Then I suppose you'll be needing a ride," Simmons remarked bitterly. Turning away, he marched towards the exit.

Lennox looked over his shoulder. He could hear the faint calls of his wife as she searched for Ironhide.

"As an FYI, I'm leaving now," he called over his shoulder.

Clenching his teeth, he glowered at Reggie. Old age had only made Reggie _that _much more of a sore in his side. Picking up his feet, the Major followed the old man. His eyes glanced towards Jetfire as he moved past him.

It was the first time Jetfire had ever seen the look of resentment and worry in the Major's eyes. The large autobot continued to watch the humans until they vanished behind the door. Jetfire turned towards his leader. His optics looked down at the ground. He, like the rest of the autobots, knew it was never good when Optimus dealt with someone by himself; and Jetfire knew what it felt like to be lectured by Optimus personally. "Please go easy on Annabelle," he begged softly. "She's not a traitor. I know she isn't." _'She just can't be,' _he added silently.

Optimus let out a sigh. "Go tell Sunny that he's in charge of Annabelle," he replied. "And that he is to not leave her side until further notice."

The scientist looked brightly at his leader. A small smile tugged at his metal lips. "Thank you," he whispered softly. Feeling a bit more relaxed, he turned around to go find Sunny.

"And Jetfire," the blue and red 'bot called.

Stopping mid-step, he turned his head around. "Yes, sir?" Jetfire asked respectfully.

"Don't worry so much," Optimus said calmly. "That's my job."

He nodded. "I know," the SR-71 replied. "But you can't carry _all_ the worry, Sir. It's unhealthy."

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"You won't end alone and forgotten," the Seeker replied. "Those slags care so much for your species. Primus, they destroyed our life-source in order to save your pathetic race." Starscream slowly and painfully crossed his arms over his wide chest. He let out a huff. "Not even the Fallen himself would be that treacherous."

"But the Fallen betrayed The Originals," Anna replied. "He joined sides with Unicron, and Unicron wanted to destroy the Transformers."

Starscream looked shockingly at the human. "How do - "

"You didn't actually think my bed-time stories were filled with fairy-tales that involved princesses and knights in shiny armor, did you?" she asked.

"How much did they tell you?" he inquired.

"I know all the stories by heart," she answered.

"But why would they tell stories to you?" Starscream asked. "You're an _outsider_. You couldn't possibly understand."

Annabelle's gaze narrowed down on the Seeker. "I know just as much about your society as I do my own," she stated firmly. "I've been raised by 'bots the majority of my life. Hell, I can hear your language _almost_ perfectly. As all the 'bots say in the base, I'm a spark with a fleshy body."

"That's not right," He responded. "No human should be allowed to learn our secrets. It's unnatural."

"Why?"

"_Why_?" he repeated. "You're a human. We're Cybertronians. We're two different species. That's why. And if it wasn't for our war, then our species would have _never_ met."

"You sound scared," Anna said sympathetically. "I don't really blame you either for being being."

Starscream looked mortified at her comment. "I'm not scared," he retorted. But he barely believed himself. "Only cowards are scared, and I'm no coward."

"That's not what I've heard about you," she spoke skeptically

"Their wrong," the decepticon remarked hatefully.

"Prove it."

"What?"

"You heard me," she reinforced.

"I don't need to prove anything to a_ fleshy_," Starscream said proudly.

"Then why are you arguing with me?" Anna inquired. "Creatures only argue with one another when they have a point to make."

"Then what's your point?" he commented angrily.

"I don't have a point to make," she stated.

"Then why are you arguing with me?" Starscream asked.

"Because your fun to provoke," Annabelle said with a smile. "And you're so different that what I'm use too. It's kind've exciting."

"You make no sense," the Seeker said frankly.

"I make perfect sense," she responded. "It just takes some time to get used to my logic. Just think of it as learning a new language." Anna watched as he stared at her with a confused expression. "Because when you get down to it, it's not that complicated to understand me." Her eyes drifted to the floor. "After all, how complicated can a carbon-based organism be?" she asked aloud.

Starscream couldn't help but laugh lightly at her last statement. "You're different that Bumblebee's human," he replied.

She looked at him. Her face was much lighter and happier than before. "Phhh, I make Sam look like your average Joe," Anna stated.

Starscream titled his head. "Is an average Joe a subspecies of your species?" he inquired. His optics glared at the human as she began to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"You," Anna replied. "You have so much to learn. Even the twins know what your average joe is."

_'The twins are smarter than me?' _he asked himself silently. _'How pathetic.' _The Seeker's optics widened as he watched the Lennox child. "Then teach me," he said. "I'm gonna be here a while, so I might as well learn."

"And what do I get for teaching you?" Anna asked.

"Why do I have to give you something?" Starscream countered. "You should just teach me out of the goodness of your fleshy heart."

"Because nothing in life is free, Starscream," the girl answered. "It's all about giving and taking."

"You gave me life," the Seeker said. "What did you expect to take from that?"

"I took a chance," Annabelle said calmly.

"A chance to what?" he insisted.

"You tell me," she said.

All the while, she said it with a contented smile. She was so confident and relaxed that he wondered himself if she wasn't made up of metal beneath her fleshy hide. Not even Megatron himself had ever appeared to be this frightening. The only thing that could compare to her calm attitude was _him_; and just like _him_, this child seem to defy his logic. _'I'm not scared,' _Starscream repeated to himself. _'I'm not scared.'_


	7. Chapter 7

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** another update! wh00t! -dances- && quite proud of this chapter -- got to get to some touchy subjects. :3 hope everyone had a colorful easter. consider this my belated easter gift to you guys. ^^ && sorry for this chapter being long. it kind've evolved as i wrote it, lol. x3 && sorry in advance for spelling/grammar errors. it's about 11 p.m. here, and i'm tired. e.e if you guys catch any, feel free to let me know. c; okay, now i'll shut up before i blabber any more.

**replies:**

tlcoopi7,, i love them too! i love watching them argue. it ranks up there with simmons and will, and the twins.

autobot alythia,, sounds like you need something for that cough! -hands cough syrup- lmao! xD && yush. finally they aren't ripping each other throats out. -pats each of them proudly-

lisa,, hey, at least ratchet is there to fix his processor, lol! xD && thank you. ^^ hopefully as the story goes along, you can see just how deep and _sickly_ intertwined anna and all the 'bots (and 'cons) are. -pats them all- hopefully this chapter will live up to your expectations. c:

13istalktheakatsuki13,, -takes flashlight and makes scary face- muwahahahaha! 8}

**pairings:** starscreamxannabelle vs. ironhidexannabelle; what a twisted little triangle of love.

**disclaimer:** i do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners. nor do i own WoW (world of warcraft).

_"this is com-link, or whatever the heck it is called these days."_

_kilocycle = 1,000 cybertronian years_

_cybertronian year = 932 earth days_

_"soft" spot = hidden button that blends into the background_

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* * *

Ratchet wandered through the hallways, looking for signs of Optimus. Instead he had found a still angry Sara Lennox. He considered himself lucky that she had denied his help. _'And I thought she got her pride from Will's side,'_ he thought. His blue optics looked at the moving shadow on the wall. "Ironhide?" he inquired. "Optimus?"

From around the corner he watched as the second largest autobot emerged. "What is it, Ratchet?" asked Optimus.

"I know how Anna was able to revive Starscream," the medical officer answered. "Anna said she found a piece of the Allspark."

"A piece?"

Ratchet nodded. "But she also said there was a small pile of many pieces," he informed.

Optimus's optics widened. It sounded too good to be true. "Is this confirmed?"

"Starscream became enraged when he found out that Anna had gone through his pile," he explained. "So I strongly believe that there is a pile."

"How would it have gotten by your sensors?" his leader asked. "Someone must've noticed."

"At the time we were more concerned with Starscream," Ratchet said. "It's possible that we were too consumed with Starscream to notice the pieces."

He nodded. "Go back and investigate," he ordered. "And take Sideswipe with you."

Inside Ratchet sighed. _'Why Sideswipe?'_ he asked himself. He nodded respectfully to Optimus. "Yes, Sir," the medic returned.

* * *

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* * *

Ironhide had stood behind the door, listening to their conversation for the last five minutes. He had originally planned to charge in there and just take Annabelle by storm, but hearing them jump from topic to topic had both comforted and angered him. _'At least Annabelle's still okay,' _he told himself. _'But how dare he talk to _my_ human.'_ Ironhide pressed his audio sensor next to the door again, but unlike before it was quiet. He waited, hoping to hear a sound, but it remained quiet. His blue optics became hateful slits. '_That bastard,'_ he thought. Ironhide clenched his left first, while his right hand began to push on the button to open the door.

"Ah, good timing Ironhide," Optimus said.

The old soldier whipped his head around to see their leader walking towards. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came to talk to Annabelle," He replied casually. "Yourself?"

The door to the medical bay opened, and he quickly turned to look inside. "I came to check up on her," Ironhide finished. He stepped into the room, and felt relief. Annabelle was still sitting on a table across the room from the seeker. His relief didn't last long when he saw the smile on her face. Automatically he began to glower at Starscream.

"Hey, Mr. Hyde is here," Anna replied with a less-than-thrilled voice. "Along with his friend, Captain America." She looked towards the seeker. "We're in for a real treat today." The girl watched as the Seeker smiled lightly.

"Hilarious, Anna," Ironhide stated grumpily. "Just hilarious."

Optimus shared the same, unpleasant expression. He walked passed Ironhide and to the table where the human was lying on. "You're coming with me," he said. His tone of voice reflected there was no and's, if's, or but's about it. The leader laid his hand out for the human to walk on.

Anna sighed before getting up. "See ya later, Starscream," she said gloomily. The girl hopped into the autobot's hand. She hung her head low, too afraid to look at Optimus.

The autobot curled his hands around the human to support her if necessary. He looked towards his old comrade. "Ironhide, why don't you show Starscream his new quarters," he suggested.

"Prime?" asked a confused Ironhide.

"The one in the basement," he clarified.

The black autobot nodded in understanding. He waited for Optimus to leave before looking at Starscream. "How long has it been, Screamer?" Ironhide asked bluntly. "Six, seven, maybe eight kilocycles since we last had a good talk?"

The seeker looked at Ironhide with a cold stare. "What are you getting at?" he snapped impatiently.

Ironhide moved towards him, and bent over to look Starscream in the eye. "I'd like to have another _good_ talk," he stated. The autobot wedged his left fist into the seeker's unprotected chest. A satisfied smile grew across his face as he watched Starscream flinch. His fingers wrapped around the vulnerable wires that controlled the seeker's arm movement in both limbs. Ironhide pulled the wires towards, and brought him closer to his face. "Today's subject will be about Annabelle, and why it would be good for you and your li'l deceptichops to avoid her."

His red eyes became more intense shade of maroon. "I didn't hurt or even touch her," Starscream retorted. "You've got the wrong person if you want to blame me for the odd colored spots on her skin."

The soldier chuckled coldly. "Oh I know where those came from," Ironhide returned.

"Then what - " Starscream groaned as Ironhide began to yank the wires out of their place. The sharp pain in his arms was quickly replaced by an unforgiving numbing sensation. He glared upwards at the autobot.

"You will speak only when I am done talking," Ironhide added cooly. "Or you will end up in the trash where you belong."

"What' holding you back?" the decepticon hissed.

"The fact that I know cowards like to barter," he answered. "And I know that cowards fear death over anything, and will do, or in your case, give anything in order to live." Ironhide looked towards the door. The sound of approaching footsteps reverberated in her audio sensor. He released his grip on the seeker's wires. Instead he moved around Starscream and grabbed his right arm. Ironhide pull the mech's arm over his shoulder; while he wrapped his left arm around the seeker's wide chest. "Get up," Ironhide growled.

"I can't walk," he informed matter-of-factly.

"You're gonna learn," the autobot remarked harshly. Impatiently he lifted Starscream up, and began to move. He nearly fell down when Starscream regretfully clung to him. He turned to his head and glared at the seeker. "Get your claws out of my shoulder," he stated.

He struggled to support himself on his right leg. "I told you once already that I _can't_ walk," Starscream repeated callously.

"Well I certainly will not drag your fraggin' ass all the way down to the basement," the old soldier reinforced. "Then again it shouldn't surprise me that you're complaining. You _always_ whined when something didn't go your way."

Starscream looked down at his broken leg. Using his free arm, he reached down to pluck out the tiny instruments the human implanted. The seeker closed his eyes as he pulled the first and second black objects out of his circuits. There was instant stingy feeling that radiated from the spot where the instruments had been.

_Clunk. Clunk. _

Both objects fell to the floor.

"Where'd you get those?" Ironhide demanded.

"Your human," he answered. "She's quite hospitable." Starscream lifted up his limp leg, and began to manually straighten out the hydraulics. The sound of his hydraulics being jammed was like nails on the chalk board. It felt just as painful as it sounded. The seeker's grip began to slip as he worked on the last hydraulic.

"Annabelle did what?!" he asked in an infuriated voice. "She got that close to you?!"

He placed his leg slowly on the ground before looking at the autobot. "In order to revive me, she would've had to get close," Starscream sneered. "Doesn't take a genius to know that."

Ironhide released his grip, and watched as the seeker fell to the ground. He smiled as Starscream laid sprawled out on the ground. "Oops," he taunted. "Must've lost my grip."

Jetfire appeared from the side of the door. "Need help, Ironhide?" he asked.

He shook his head. "We're good," the autobot replied. "All we had was a small slip."

Starscream managed to look up to see Jetfire standing there. . . _all_ the way _over_ there just watching him. His optics searched for the old Jetfire -- the Jetfire that would've helped him up when he fell -- but it was met with no familiar ties of their old friendship. That was a blow that was more painful than the injuries he had taken from _him_. The seeker looked down at the floor as he heard Jetfire walk away. Shame burned inside his circuits for Jetfire seeing him this pathetic.

"Get up," Ironhide huffed roughly. He bent down and grabbed Starscream by his engines with both hands. Despite being built for the air, the seeker was heavier than the old soldier expected, and lifting him up was proving to be a challenge. "You gotta help me out here, slag."

"I can get up on my own," he muttered quickly. The seeker placed his hands flat on the ground, and with what little strength he had left, he began to push himself up.

The mech held his grip on the seeker's engines. He watched as the decepticon began to raise his torso up, but it was too slow for his liking. The autobot yanked on his engines, and watched as Starscream began to rise to his feet. His blue optics widened as Starscream's hands clung to his armor, looking for something to hold onto. With the claws sinking into his armor, the added weight of the seeker, and the backwards momentum from his yank had created, the old soldier began to stumble backwards.

Starscream's optics closed shut in the anticipation of a second fall. His hands gripped tighter, tearing into the exposed circuits in between the autobot's armor. The sound of tools being scattered onto the floor filled his head with images. Then at once, the sounds stopped. Opening his optics, he looked to see Ironhide had caught himself on one of the tables. The second this he noticed was he was on top of the old bot with his nose _only_ centimeters away from Ironhide's own nose. The seeker looked to see his arms were around the autobot, clutching him like a newborn clutches a finger.

"Do you mind, slag?" Ironhide asked bluntly. His voice reflected the uncomfortable and awkwardness of being so close to his enemy.

There was no exchanges of being sorry when Starscream loosened his grip _just _enough to allow Ironhide to get up and reposition himself.

Ironhide, after repositioning himself, stood up and looked down the seeker. Grabbing the seeker's right arm once again, he threw the decepticon's arm over his neck. The autobot's left hand grabbed Starscream's chest again. "This time don't stumble," Ironhide criticized.

"You make it sound like it was _my_ fault," Starscream retorted.

The mech ignored the comment, and began to walk. He scuffled out of the room with his back hunched over from the weight of Starscream. The sound of his heavy footsteps was followed by the scuffling of the enemy. His looked down at the seeker's feet. Starscream's right foot struggled to get a firm hold on the ground; while his left leg was dragged painfully behind.

"Wall," the seeker pointed out.

Ironhide shot his head up to look at the wall. Shifting his weight and the placement of his feet, the autobot easily changed his direction without any further complications. He glanced towards the silent seeker. "No remarks or sneers?" Ironhide asked suspiciously. His eyes narrowed down on the seeker when Starscream didn't reply. "That seems out of character for you, Screamer." The mech took his free hand and pressed a translucent red button. On command the door slid open, and the two stepped inside. With a light _thud_, the doors closed. "Oh well," the soldier said maliciously. "We can fix that."

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* * *

Annabelle sat on a smooth rock. Her blue eyes watched as Optimus kept his back to her. He stood still like a gargoyle, watching life from above. She eyed him as the sunlight reflected off his dull armor. Scratches and dents that would have been hidden in artificial lightening stood out like sore thumbs in the sunlight. "Why did you bring me here?" Anna asked weakly.

Optimus Prime observed a small herd of does walked stealthily through the forest shadows. Each one followed behind the other like perfect little angels. He sighed as they walked out of his sight. "Because I don't comfortable discussing this where others might here this," the autobot answered.

"I don't understand," she returned. "What's so wrong that the others can't know?"

He turned around, and looked down at Anna. Images of her younger self burned inside his head. The innocence she had once carried as a child was gone -- replaced by the defiance of an adult. "It's because I am considering whether or not to try you under _our_ laws," Optimus clarified. The mech stared at her, taking in every detail of her confused and bewildered face.

"Wh - why?" Annabelle managed to asked softly. "I - I'm _not _one of you. I'm _human_."

"I know," Optimus replied. "I know." Slowly he moved to her side. With a light _thud_ and a few creaks, the autobot sat next to her in a casual position. He closed his optics. "Do you remember what you asked for for your fifth birthday, Anna?" the mech asked. "You asked to be one of us. I remember you pleaded with Ratchet to build you a pink robotic suit." He chuckled at the memory of Anna holding onto Ratchet's leg.

Anna smiled. "I'm still waiting on that suit, too," she said jokingly.

"I bet you are," Optimus stated. Opening his eyes, he looked up towards the sky. Despite the daylight, he could still pick out the direction where Cybertron would be located. "Ratchet told you that he couldn't build the suit," he continued. "Instead he promised you that you would have a _proper_ up bringing like any other sparkling."

The smile on her face quickly melted away. "What are you getting at, Optimus?" she asked. "How does that have _anything_ to do with being tried under your laws?"

_'Everything,' _he answered silently. "We gave you that up bringing. We raised you as one of our _own_ -- including myself," Optimus explained. "We taught you _our_ ways, showed you _our_ traditions, and shared _our_ secrets with you; and just like Ratchet promised, we brought you up as a _sparkling_; all of us even joke that you have a spark hidden inside your organic body. We affectionately call you sparkling." The mech dropped his head, and looked at Anna. To anyone she would've looked like a _normal_, confused human, but the mech saw through that. He saw just another scared 'bot inside those eyes. "But that has raised a question, Anna -- one that I don't want to answer."

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* * *

The ride to the basement was silent, and Starscream was content to staying silent in order to keep the tension from rising. He kept his optics closed, and imagined that he wasn't in a small space with Ironhide. '_No, I'm in the sky with Thundercracker and Skywarp,' _he told himself. _'With no worries of being ambushed, and no consequences for taking a harmless break.'_ Starscream smiled at the idea.

"What are you smiling at?" Ironhide asked roughly.

He flicked his optics open and glared at the wall. "Nothing," the seeker spat. "_Nothing_ at all." The elevator came to sudden halt. The door opened, and the seeker could see that the autobots had obviously forgotten to decorate the basement. One by one, the lights lit across the hall. The cells themselves didn't hold any metal bars or obvious way to hold their captives; it looked like a giant empty room. _'All the more deadly,'_ he thought. Starscream stumbled out of the elevator when the black mech shoved him.

Ironhide quickly took the lead, and began to fast walk. The sound of hearing Starscream's feet slip and slid on the slick floor was music to his ears. _'One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five,' _he counted inside his head. The autobot stopped at the sixth cell. He removed the seeker's arm from his shoulder before pushing him into the cell.

Starscream fell into the cell. He let out a whimper as his sensitive wings and engines scrapped against the cold floor. The decepticon opened his eyes, only to see Ironhide standing above him. All he could focus on was the murderous grin.

"Supposedly you're suppose to be a smart cookie, Screamer," Ironhide spat. "So take a few notes. You don't talk to Anna. You don't look at her. You don't even think about her. If she comes towards you, I suggest you high tail it out of there. But since you're down here _alone_, you shouldn't have to worry about that." The autobot placed a foot on the seeker's chest. He bent down with his eyes radiating danger. "If you break one of my rules, I'll burn you alive -- not with fire, but with acid. Just like your little spring green friend did to Bumper and Springer."

"If you're trying to blame their deaths on me, then you've got the wrong 'con," Starscream informed.

"You're the Air Commander of the decepticons," Ironhide retorted. "You're in charge of all air assaults."

"So you're going to blame their deaths on me just because I'm the Air Commander?" the seeker asked bitterly. "Talk about being a metal head."

"Don't test me, Screamer," Ironhide warned. He pressed his foot down his cockpit. The sound of the glass creaking and splitting echoed off the bare walls. "You won't live if you do." The mech took his foot off the seeker.

Starscream lifted his head up. "I see Acid Storm left his mark on your face," the seeker reminded. "Too bad that was the only mark he could leave."

Ironhide clenched his fists. "You're a lot of talk, Screamer," he spat. "But not a lot of walk."

"I'm not the one putting off the fight, 'Hide," the 'con retorted. The mech's red eyes watched as the autobot walked around him like a predator.

"You must _really_ want to die, Screamer," the mech stated coldly. "But I won't let you runaway that easily." Ironhide kicked the seeker in the head. He watch in satisfaction as the seeker's body when limp like a rag-doll's. Like a predator, he moved towards the heart of his prey. Using his right hand, Ironhide pulled the seeker's cockpit up. The cracks in the exposed spark chamber allowed the faint glow of the spark to leak through. He looked down at the circuit that supplied the spark chamber with energy. His eyes drifted to a black piece of metal that was attached to the pale spark chamber. Ironhide reached down and gently lifted the metal out. The mech closed the cockpit before examining the piece. There was no denying it. It was part of the Allspark.

Ironhide's hand clasped around the piece. He moved out of the cell, and using his free hand, the autobot touched a "soft" spot on the ceiling. A digital pad appeared above his head. The mech entered in the password. A soft buzzing sound filled the room when he pressed enter. Ironhide smirked as he looked at the unconscious Starscream. _'I dare you to touch the walls of your cell now,'_ he thought.

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* * *

She began to lean away from Optimus. Never before had she seen him this solemn and regretful in her life. It was also the first time she feared him. "What's the question?" Anna asked fearfully.

"What defines what race you belong to?" Optimus said bluntly. "Genetically you are a human, but mentally, I believe, that you are like us. You think like us, act like us, and even talk like us. Last time I checked, you can even understand us when we talk our native tongue. And by Primus, you can even read our language." The autobot dropped his head. "When I look at you, I don't see you as human. I see you as one of us. Because I see you as one of us, I don't have to worry about explaining something like I would to a normal human. You know my race inside and out." The leader let out an exhausted puff of air. "Somewhere in the past we blurred the line that separated our races. Because of that, I don't know whether it is the mind that makes you part of a certain race or the body."

"Can't you answer that on your own?" she asked. Her voice held all discomfort she was feeling.

"Anna, if I answer that question, I'll be breaking a lot of promises," he stated.

"Then what do you want me to do?" the girl inquired.

He lifted his head. His usual calm, confident face was gone. The mech stared at her with pleading eyes. "Convince me you're not one of us," Optimus said. "Tell me how human you are. Explain to me what it feels like to be human. Say that it's our fault for raising you like this, and that it's all in my head."

The girl's eyes wandered, looking at the conifers and wildflowers. Annabelle studied how the birds gathered together on the tree limbs. She knew the answer, it just a matter of deciding whether to lie or not. Turning towards Optimus, Anna flashed him a smile. "You're right," the girl answered confidently. "I'm not one of you." She watched as the mech smiled joyfully. _'But it's not for the reason you think,' _she added silently.

"And you're sure about this?" he insisted.

Annabelle nodded. "Yes." _'Because if I was one of you, you wouldn't have to be asking,' _the girl thought. _'You would already know the answer. But then again, I'm lying, and maybe you know I'm lying; and maybe you want to believe my lie because you don't want to believe the fact.' _"So what will happen to me?"

"I'll tell Simmons that you were influenced by us, and that you thought by reviving Starscream you might help end the war quicker," Optimus answered. "I'll say it was an honest mistake." He stood up with the same creaks scaring the birds away. "C'mon, I bet you're hungry." The mech offered his hand to Annabelle. "I saw a diner not too far away from here."

The girl nodded. She lifted herself onto his hand. _'But no matter how much we deny it, we'll both know the truth deep down.'_ Anna braced herself as Optimus raised her up to his shoulder. Eagerly, the human climbed onto his shoulder. She smiled. From up here, she felt like nothing could touch her. Anna inhaled a deep breath of the fresh morning air. The cool touch of the early summer calmed her shacking nerves. _'The truth is, I am one of you.'_

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* * *

"So just like that we're cool?" Anna asked. She looked at Optimus's human holograph.

The strong, even cold-like features didn't convey the passion the autobot had for his soldiers. The light blonde hair didn't help either. To most people, he appeared to be a thirty-year old Draco Malfoy crossed with Brad Pitt. "I presume your parental units will give you a punishment," Optimus said.

"So you aren't going to punish or ground me?" she asked hopefully.

"I didn't say that," the autobot replied. His earth alt slowed down at the presence of a cop tagging speeders. "I've already decided that we will have no choice but to assign Sunstreaker as your guardian."

_'Yes,' _the girl thought.

"You will also be banned from the base and visiting the others until further notice; except for your guardian who will be with you twenty-seven."

"What?!" Anna exclaimed. "You can't cut me off from them! What if I need help in science from Jetfire?

"I will allow you to get help from Jetfire if you need it," Optimus clarified.

"But you can't just cut me off from them!" she argued. "They're my family!"

Optimus looked regretfully towards her. "It won't be forever," he insisted. "Just for a little while."

The human crossed her arms. "This is all because of _him_ isn't it?" she asked grumpily.

He turned his attention back to the road. "That's part of it," Optimus admitted.

"What's the other part?" Annabelle demanded. She heard him sigh, but he didn't speak. "If you're so comfortable speaking to me, why won't you speak to me now?"

"Until I know that I can trust you, you will be kept away," the autobot informed.

Anna stared at him with a bewildered expression. "I'm no traitor, Optimus," she explained. "I would never betray you guys. I would never want any harm to come to any of you."

"I wish I could believe that," Optimus said solemnly.

"Then why don't you?!" she protested.

"Because your race is young and violent," he explained. "You don't need to look far to find someone who is willing to back-stab someone else."

The human stared blankly at him. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But I'm not like them!" Anna said. "You _know_ this!"

"I _don't_ know this," the autobot corrected. "I thought I did before you went off and decided to revive Starscream."

"So because I revived Starscream and said I was more human that your race, you've decided that I can't be trusted?!" Anna shouted.

"Annabelle," Optimus said in a stern voice. "I must protect my troops from any threat, and until I can determine the reason you revived Starscream wasn't malicious you will be considered a a threat."

"So Sunny is your _sacrifice_?" she asked hysterically. "I wonder how he must feel about that."

"Sunstreaker is _not_ a sacrifice," he stated firmly.

"You would've sacrifice Beeman!" Anna protested. "Jazz told me. He said you would've sacrificed Beeman in order to win the war." Her blue eyes narrowed down on the hologram. "Face it, Prime, you _aren't_ as innocent as you wish you could be." She watched as his hologram disappeared. The volume of radio increased. Optimus had officially ended the conversation.

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* * *

The door slammed behind her, followed by the sound of Optimus transforming. Anna turned around, and crossed her arms to make sure that the autobot saw that she was _not_ happy about his decision. "Can I at least have the day to say good-bye?" she asked.

"You _aren't_ saying good-bye," Optimus corrected.

The human rolled her eyes. "That's what they _all_ say," she muttered. Anna moved through the sliding doors and into the base. The cool air of the base hit her like a brick wall. Immediately she began to briskly walk towards the medical bay. _'At least he isn't following me,'_ the human thought. But she knew that meant little. There were surveillance cameras around the corners and in the halls and rooms. Anna's pace increased to a jog. With her wet shoes, she began to slid around the corners.

Annabelle rounded the last corner. Already she could tell something was wrong. The door to the medical bay was open, and from the looks of it, some of Ratchet's tools were sprayed on the ground. She slid to a stop. He was _gone_. In response her stomach plummeted like a lead balloon. "Ah shit!" she shouted.

"Ah shit what?" asked an autobot.

Anna spun around to see Sunstreaker walking her way. "Where's Starscream?" she asked.

"Ironhide took him to the cells in the basement," he answered. "Why?"

She quietly slid her black pinky ring off her left hand, and stuck the one-of-a-kind ring into her pocket. "I lost my lucky ring," Anna explained. "The one that Jetfire made for me when I was ten."

"It still fits you?" Sunstreaker asked suspiciously.

"It's a pinky ring now," she informed. "But the point is I need it back, and I think I lost it in Starscream's cockpit."

"How could you have lost it in his cockpit?" he inquired.

The human looked with an unpleased look at the yellow 'bot. "Let me count the ways," she said sarcastically. "First you, your brother, and 'Hide come in firing at me while I'm in his cockpit. Next 'hide continues to fire. Then you and your brother decide to play teeter tooter with Starscream. So now you are going to take me to the basement to retrieve it."

"You know what?" Sunstreaker asked. "Your guardian doesn't have enough energy to help you retrieve your ring." He faked a yawn. "You know why? Because his human made him stay up incredibly late so that he could fix his paint job."

"SUNNY! NOW!" Annabelle yelled. "Before I call Ratchet or someone to exterminate you!"

"Sheesh!" he replied in a sorry tone. "I didn't know the ring meant so much to you."

"Now you do," she retorted matter-of-factly "Now take me to the basement."

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* * *

Annabelle stood next Sunstreaker. She noticed that Sunstreaker was impatient for the elevator to reach the bottom. His fingers nervously tapped against his thigh. "What's your problem?" she asked.

"I just got the new MMORPG game called World of Warcraft," he answered. "And I'm eager to start playing it."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Boys and their games," she muttered. The elevator came to an abrupt halt. On cue, the doors opened. The human stepped out of the elevator, and turned towards her guardian. "Hey," Anna said. "Why don't you go play your game. It may take a while to convince him to give my ring back."

Sunstreaker nodded. "Just call me when you need me," he replied. The doors closed, and the elevator disappeared.

_'Some guardian he's gonna be,'_ she thought. Annabelle began to walk down the hall. Her eyes looked at the vast open space. _'Now I remember why we called it the basement,' _she thought. The human rolled up her sleeve to see goose-bumps crawling over her skin. _'And someone needs to turn up the thermostat.'_

_SCRRRRREEEEEEEECH!!!!_

She rolled her sleeve back down, and began to run towards the sound.

He could hear the screeching noise, and he knew that it should've hurt to move his torso but it was numb. A _thud_ followed behind the screech as he finished turning himself onto his ventral side. Starscream let out a deep, relaxing breath. It felt _so_ good to be on his stomach rather than his back.

"Starscream," Annabelle exclaimed. "Are you - " She didn't need to finish the sentence -- she already saw some new marks on his backside. The human smiled as he barely flickered open his optics. "Hey," she said softly. "It's me." Her smile faded when he closed his optics. Anna sighed. _'And just when he seemed to be doing better,' _she thought bitterly. She laid down on the ground, watching him with vigilant eyes. "Looks like we've both got a long, hard road ahead of us," Anna said.


	8. Chapter 8

_**t****here's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** for once the chapter ended how i wanted it to end, lol. x3 enjoy. && omg. for any of you who are looking for a good book to read, go check out Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult. I just finished and it was simply amazing. if you ever need inspiration for stories, just read her books. i promise you won't be disappointed. and for some reason this isn't saving properly when i edit it on fanfic, so sorry about the weird look. i'll put all the fancy things up when it starts to save properly.

**replies:**

inspire165,, no, he'll be the fun guardian that breaks all the rules, lol. xD but as you said, he would defend anna in a split second 'cause no one picks on his human but him. x3

dixiegurl13,, 'hide is being an afthole, but he has his many personal reasons; and the autobots in general have a reason for being so physco. but he'll start to redeem himself in the next chapter. c; && yes, starscream be will reunited his wingmates. c: along with other 'cons. && thanks. ^^ i've always loved him and his bright color. 3 he's so under rated for his flexibility in stories, lol. -huggles li'l acid storm-

tlcoopi7,, actually this is the chapter is where you find out. ;3 it seemed fitting with the mood.

autobot alythia,, yup. anna's got nicknames for all of them. x3

**pairings:** starscreamxannabelle vs. ironhidexannabelle; what a twisted little triangle of love.

**disclaimer:** i do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

_"_this-is-cybertronian-and-it-s-a-pain-to-type"

_"this is com-link, or whatever the heck it is called these days."_

_centurion = 100 cybertronian years_

_cybertronian year = 932 earth days_

_orbital cycle = thirteen cybertronian hours_

_cybertronian hour = eight and a third earth hours_

* * *

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Then fifteen years, three months, twenty-three days, six hours, forty-eight minutes, and three seconds ago

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* * *

_Starscream walked down the chamber with head held higher than ever. Gleaming red eyes took in every wonderful detail. His fingers traced the arm of the chair. For so long he had stood next to the chair when they had war meetings. He would watch as Megatron would take his seat without looking where he was going, and Starscream would watch Megatron's every move, counting each and every step; but the seeker wouldn't be counting steps today. _

_"Starscream!" _

_The seeker turned around to see the one-optic, purple (and in his opinion) freak walked towards him. The smile he had been sporting turned into an instant scowl. "Shockwave," Starscream said. He forced himself to sound happy to see his old "friend". "It's-been-a-while."_

_"More-than-a-while," he corrected. "More-like-a-forty-six-point-four-centurions."_

_"Always-so-precise," the seeker muttered sarcastically. His optics looked down at Shockwave's missing hand. He quickly averted his eyes to the window. "I-see-you've-traded-your-hand-for-a-gun." _

_"Yes," the mech replied. "It's-more-valuable-these-days-to-have-a-laser-than-another-hand. You-should-try-it."_

_He looked towards Shockwave, trying to not show the creepy crawly sensation that was traveling through his circuits. "I-like-my-hands---Shockwave," Starscream said casually. "They're-qui - "_

_"Enough-small-talk," Shockwave interrupted. "Why-have-you-come-back? And-where-is-Megatron-and-the-others?"_

_"Patience--Shockwave," the seeker criticized. He faced the purple mech, and looked him in the optics. "You-will-find-out-at-the-same-time-everyone-else-does. If-you-want-to-help-the-process-along--you-may-go-spread-the-order-that-all-decepticons-are-to-report-to-Trypticon-within-three-orbital-cycles. Until-then-I-do-not-want-to-be-disturbed-by-anyone."_

_He nodded in obedience. "Not-even-by-your-fellow-seekers?" the mech inquired._

_The mech looked unpleased at Shockwave. "I-said-by-no-one," Starscream reinforced cooly. "And-they-include-no-one." He turned his back to the Military Strategist Advisor. The sound of the door shutting behind Shockwave barely registered in his audio sensors. His red eyes looked out the one-way window and watched as his soldiers walked in the streets. He realized the walls did more than protect the city -- they protected the truth behind the decepticons. From his perch in the sky, Starscream could see the tired and weary faces. The hope that the autobots had was all but a memory among the decepticons. Their hope was replaced by anger, hate, and tired souls. _

_Starscream turned his head away from the scene below him. His feet carried him to the chair. He slumped into the chair; while placing his head in his hands. The decepticon let out a deep, stressful sigh. The seeker's vision of the decepticons of Cybertron being proud soldiers was shattered. Starscream's eyes narrowed down on the ground. "See-what-happens-when-you-pursue-your-own-agenda--Megatron?" he asked quietly. "You-leave-behind-blind-and-broken-soldiers-who-have-lost-sight-in-winning-the-war----in-the-process-of-leaving-them-behind-you-smear-our-good-name-and-motto." He closed his optics. "But-I-will-make-everything-right-once-again. And-I-will-become-the-great-leader-that-everyone-will-remember-when-the-war-is-over. I-swear-on-my-spark-I-will."_

_He raised his head at the sound of a _thud._ "I-said-no-visitors," he hissed. Starscream stood up as the knocking became more violent. "I-said-no-visitors!" The seeker stood up in aggravation. "Do-I-have-to-repeat-myself-a-third-time?!" he yelled. Starscream didn't even get a chance to turn his head before he was pinned to the ground. _

* * *

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* * *

He woke with his optics already adjusting to the bright artificial light. The seeker groaned at the realization that he was still a captive; he wanted to go back to that time in his dream. The mech lifted his head before succumbing to the throbbing pressure. It felt like someone was kicking him from the inside out. Starscream rolled his head around on the ground before finding a comfortable position to rest it in. His optics looked ahead at the fuzzy form of a human girl. Ironhide's warning boomed in his head. The seeker groaned as she leaned forward to watch him. "Go away," Starscream muttered.

Annabelle ignored his plea, and scooted closer to the cell. "It's okay," she said softly. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"If you haven't noticed, you've done more than your fair share of damage," the seeker retorted weakly.

"I didn't do that to you," Anna stated.

He regretfully reopened his optics. "No, but your "lovely" guardian Ironhide did," Starscream scoffed.

She stared at him with a confused expression. "Ironhide isn't my guardian," Anna clarified. "He never has been."

His eyes stared back at her curiously. "What?" he asked bewildered.

"He's not my guardian," she repeated. "He stays at my house, but he's always done that to keep my mother company when my dad is gone. Besides, 'Hide isn't the guardian type. He's too proud to be someone's guardian; plus he would never have the patience to watch over me."

Starscream slowly and carefully moved his sore body into a proper sitting position. This little bit of movement had left him feeling exhausted. "I would've sworn he was your guardian," the seeker returned. "He seemed very protective of you."

Anna shook her head in denial. "He's overly protective for my mother's sake," she informed. "My mother doesn't approve of me being with Cybertronians. So 'Hide watches me to make sure nothing bad happens; personally I think he's under too much stress from my mother's worries, but Primus forbid something should happen to me. My mom would come make scrap metal out of Optimus."

"Your mother doesn't like the autobots?" he inquired. "I thought all squishies were autobot lovers."

The human chuckled. "Oh Primus," she said. "If my mother had had it her way, I would the cheerleader captain who knew nothing about your race. She swears up and down that growing up with them has somehow ruined my life."

"But your father - "

"My father is friendly towards them, but he doesn't associate with them much outside his work," Annabelle explained. "But at least he doesn't see any harm in letting me hang around with them." The human looked down at the ground. "That will most likely change though."

"They surely can't be that angry towards you," he remarked.

She looked towards the seeker as if he were dumb. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but reviving you is a big fucking deal," Anna retorted. "I'll most likely be grounded till I go to college; if not disinherited first. Secondly, I'm banned from the base because I'm a "threat" to the autobots." She pulled her legs to her chest. "I'll be lucky to see any of them before I go off to college and rejoin the "real" world."

The seeker rolled his eyes at the human's dramatic prediction. "You're their squishy. They'll bend the rules for you."

Anna looked away from him. She focused her frustrated eyes on the empty space where the elevator had been. "No they won't," the human corrected. "Unlike Sam, they expect _only_ the _best _from me. They expect the best from me because I've been raised like one of them." She rested her head on her knees. "When they don't understand a human expression, they turn to me to explain it to them. If a human needs something explained because they don't understand what Optimus or one of them is getting at, I become the one to explain it. I'm their medium between humans and them; and because I'm their medium they rely upon me -- they trust me to keep them safe." Annabelle closed her eyes. "And now I've broken that trust," she muttered weakly.

"If you wait long enough, they'll forgive you," Starscream said. _'I'm still waiting on Jetfire to forgive me.' _the seeker added silently. He sighed when she didn't talk or move. "They always do," he added more for his benefit than hers. If he had learned one thing, it was that it was easier to lie to yourself that something good would happen, instead of what would most likely happen.

"They won't forgive me," Anna stated. "A million years from now they may not remember me or what happen, but that doesn't mean that they would've forgiven me. If anything it'll mean that I was too painful for them to remember. It meant it would be easier to forget me than to forgive me."

"You don't know that's true," he said from a scientific stand point. "You don't have any evidence to back it up."

She turned her head and just looked at Starscream. Her eyes traced the ragged edges of his broken armor, and the worn-torn look of his optics. "Look at Jetfire," she replied. "He only told me stories about you because I asked -- not out of his good spark. When I would ask what your name would be, he would tell me that was enough. Then he would send on my way to play with the twins or someone." Her eyes drifted past Starscream as she remembered those days. "Jetfire didn't want to remember; which meant he wanted to forget you over forgiving you."

"How do you know there's anything to forgive?" the seeker remarked coldly.

"Because he only showed pain and regret when he talked about you." she said simply.

* * *

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* * *

Sideswipe let out a bored sigh. "There's nothing here, Ratchet," he objected.

The medic seemed to ignore his comment. He watched the flat horizon that surrounded the military base. "Yes there is," Ratchet finally admitted.

"Why do you say that?" he asked in exhausted voice.

"Because we're being watched."

The twin followed the older 'bots gazed. "There's noth - " He winced his optics and could see two silhouetted forms standing side by side. One greatly towered over the other, and the taller one seemed to be the leader of the two. "I do believe we've found the missing 'cons," Sideswipe stated happily. Without hesitation, he quickly transformed his right arm into a make shift plasma gun.

"What in Primus are you doing?" Ratchet asked.

"What do you think I'm gonna do," Sideswipe replied hastily.

The medic's optics glared at the twin. "We do not engage unless fired upon first!" Ratchet snapped.

Sideswipe turned to Ratchet. "And that's why we've been losing the war," he retorted. "Kindness won't spare our lives, Ratchet." He stood staring Ratchet back in the eye. The cocky, young spark was overlapped by a new found pride and dedication to his allegiance. "Sooner or later you'll have to come to terms with that." The autobot turned his back to his superior and began to sprint across the barren field.

* * *

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* * *

He had watched Annabelle, waiting for her to shed little rain droplets from her eyes; but she never did shed any tears. No, all she did was sit with her head low and eyes closed. A solemn, depressed looked haunted her face. It made the fragile human look gaunt and hollow in his opinion. "Don't feel so sorry for yourself," Starscream said coldly. "You could've spared yourself all this trouble."

Annabelle slowly raised her head to look at the seeker. "Just because I revived you doesn't mean none of this wouldn't have happened," she replied. "It just would've happened later."

The mech looked skeptically at the human. _'So dramatic,' _he thought. "How do you know it would've happened later?" he inquired.

"Because we were drifting apart before you came," Anna stated. "None of them would admit it, but we were all drifting apart." She leaned back and slowly laid down on the cold ground. Her blue eyes watched the ceiling, memorizing how each tile fit perfectly with the next in a geometrical pattern. "Jazz especially..." She let out a deep breath.

This new information peeked his curiosity. "Why were you drifting apart?" he asked in a softer voice.

The human rolled her head towards the 'con. "Do you miss Cybertron?" she asked.

"Yes." _'That's an understatement,' _he thought.

"Well so do they," Anna replied. "They miss it a lot more than any of them would admit; and I know that a few of them question whether Prime's judgement to make Earth their new home was a good decision or not."

"What are you getting at, human?" Starscream asked impatiently. "I don't like playing mind games."

"I only play mind games with the twins, or to see if I can confused Jetfire," she informed. "And I'm getting to that." Annabelle looked over him with a stern gaze. "I thought you said you were a good listener, and that you wouldn't interrupt me or make any _pathetic_ comments."

"I am a _good _listener," the mech retorted.

"Well you're doing a poor job at listening," she sneered.

"I didn't realize I was suppose to be listening," Starscream snapped. He rolled his optics as she turned her attention back to the ceiling. _'Hormonal maggot,'_ he thought. The mech let out a frustrated sigh. "So I take it this is confidential still?"

Anna's eyes flicked towards him. "You tell me," she replied.

Starscream's mouth opened, but he didn't say anything. With her eyes still watching him, the seeker shut his mouth. He watched as she smiled at him. _'Maybe she isn't so complicated after all,'_ he thought joyfully._ 'And I've just been over reacting.'_

"After Mission City, Optimus decided that since the Allspark was gone, that Cybertron was basically a lost cause. He declared Earth their new home, and welcomed any stray autobot on the solar system to come here," Anna explained. "A year or two later, they were finally able to communicate to Cybertron. Optimus told Prowl that he wanted the remaining autobots to come to Earth, but Prowl and a few members from the Council of Ancients insisted that leaving Cybertron would not be a good idea. A member by the name of Alpha Trion told Optimus that if they did not keep a good eye on the enemy, then they could face the wrath of such a decision later. Prowl mentioned that there were a few neutral 'bots who would be willing to help them eliminate the decepticons. In exchange they would want to have their names kept safe and be immune to any charges that they may have had against them. Optimus agreed, and told Prowl to act in his place until he returned."

Anna glanced towards Starscream. She was shocked that the seeker had managed to keep his mouth shut that long. "Anyway," the human continued. "Optimus decided to stay here and search for any Allspark pieces and begin their new life. As you can imagine, beginning a new life on a different planet was hard to accept. Ironhide desperately wanted to return to Cybertron and help Prowl. Optimus said that Ironhide would be needed here on Earth in case Barricade made contact with any of the other decepticons. So through a series of events, he decided to become Will's new truck."

Anna paused, trying to decide how to go from point a to point b. "Well, I was eventually introduce into your world when I was around four."

"Against your mother's will?" Starscream asked.

She looked at him with a surprised face. He had actually been listening. "Yes," Annabelle answered. "Against my mother's will I came into your world. From that day, I was raised like your race. Optimus was my mentor, Ratchet my drug dealer when I was sick and drinking buddy on the weekends, Jetfire became my study buddy and older brother, the twins were my little brothers, Beeman would be the cousin of the family, and Jazz the cool kid that lived in the neighborhood. So among them all, I ended up being raised like a sparkling. They became my family." Anna let out a deep breath. "They were more of my family than any of my human family. I trusted them and loved more than even my mom and dad. Unlike my parents, I knew that I could always rely on them. I believe that they would always be there. But - "

"But what?" he inquired.

"But one day my parents got into an especially bad argument -- this was about seven years ago. They don't know this, but I was watching them from behind the closet door. Ironhide tried to break up the argument, but my mom -- she became unglued. She chewed Ironhide out. They say words don't people, but Ironhide was clearly hurt by what she had said." Anna looked towards Starscream. "Humans may be small, but they're programmed to be vicious. Your race on the other hand may have weapons of mass destruction, but I don't think that your race is meant to be hateful -- I consider the weapons a defense. When you compare the human race to the Cybertronian race, you can see that the humans would kill your race in a heartbeat. Here on Earth, your race may be all high-tech, but you're weak. Your race wasn't designed to live on a changing and violent world as Earth."

"You talk as if you aren't a human," Starscream commented.

"That's because I don't feel like a human," she admitted.

The seeker stared at her as if she were an insane 'con. "How could you not feel like a human?" he inquired.

"I don't consider myself Cybertronian if you're worried about that," Anna stated. "But I've been raised by both races. Consequently I see the world through both perspectives. So naturally i act as their medium, but I also act like their protector."

"Protector?"

She nodded. "Underneath all that armor, they're fragile. Just look at yourself."

"But how could you think of yourself as a protector?" the mech questioned.

"Because I keep them safe, and as I said earlier they trust me to keep them safe," Anna answered. "I make sure that nothing bad happens to them. I take care of them and get them what they need. I'm always there to take care of them, and in return they're always there to take care of me. It's a cycle -- one I thought couldn't break."

"How does that relate to your family drifting apart?" Starscream asked curiously.

She looked away from the seeker and up at the ceiling. Annabelle placed her hands behind her head. "As much as I try to help them and make them happy, it's never enough. It doesn't fill that gap in their spark," Anna explained. "They all miss Cybertron. I don't blame them; being on a new planet with only a handful of your own race there to know what you feel would be pretty upsetting. I know Jazz misses Prowl back at home, Optimus clearly misses Elita One, and Ratchet hates standing around when he could be helping someone. On a few occasions I've heard them asking Optimus if they can return home. And you know what he says?"

"What?" he asked in a monotone.

"When there is no more threat to the humans, they'll leave," she replied. "Do you know what that feels like to know that your family will leave you? To know that when they leave you'll be alone?"

He watched as her eyes became red and watery. "But you said you see the world through two different perspectives, so why don't you just forget looking through the eyes of us?" the seeker suggested.

"Because seeing and feeling are two different things, Starscream," Anna stated bluntly.

"You just said you don't consider yourself Cybertronian," The mech argued. "So if you aren't that, then you're human."

"That's what Optimus thought too," she replied. "But to consider yourself part of something is to say you relate to them. To say you feel like one of them means you are one of them; it means you feel how they feel. I don't relate to them, but I feel like one of them; which binds me to them in some weird, non-logical sense. Because of that, it's a chain I can't break. "

"So you consider yourself human only because you can relate to them," Starscream said, trying to piece it all together. "By relating to them you act as a medium because you see the world through both sets of eyes; thus you protect them and continue this "cycle"."

"Then if they left . . . "

"It would be like being left behind by your own race," the seeker finished. "But since you're genetically human, Prime feels the need to protect humans -- including you. So knowing that Prime would leave you in order to go home, you needed a threat to keep him on Earth -- that threat is me. So by reviving me, you get to make sure that your family stays here on Earth a bit longer."

She smiled approvingly towards the 'con. "You have been listening," Anna said quietly.

"It wasn't that complicated," Starscream stated.

"Told ya," she said smugly. "After all, I've got the brain power of a human, and human brains only actively function around ten percent. So how complicated can I make something?"

"You make it sound like a disability," he returned.

"Well it is my disability among them," Annabelle replied lightly. "Like I will never be able to do my math homework mentally, or push Jetfire down for fun, or play leap frog with the twins."

The seeker stifled a laugh. "You and your autobots are a weird bunch," he commented.

"You'll get used to it," she reassured. The human sat up, and turned her body. "I don't think we've formally introduce ourselves." She held her hand up, carefully keeping it away from the invisible sides of the cell. "I'm Annabelle."

The mech watched her suspiciously, carefully looking for a motive towards this sudden formality. He could come up with several ideas, but he dismissed them. If this human was willing to talk to him and no one else, then she obviously trusted him. Slowly Starscream raised his own hand, trying to match it to hers.

"Don't touch the walls," the girl warned. "You might not be able to see them, but they'll send you offline for a few hours. Sides learned that the hard way about two years ago."

"Is this still confidential?" Starscream asked.

Anna nodded.

"Thanks for the tip and earlier," he muttered quietly. "They did help a little bit." He spread his fingers apart, trying to match her hand. "Then just call me Starscream."

The human smiled. "You're welcome," she replied contently. "And it's a pleasure to meet you, Starscream."

"No," he corrected. "The pleasure is _mine_."


	9. Chapter 9

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** just saw another teaser for the tf2, and (if any of you have seen it) my jetfire does not resemble that old fart. e.e even if the old fart is funny. xD just thought i'd put it out there.

&& sorry for getting this out late. i've been busy preparing to take two summer college courses. ^^ so i've been rushing to get my qualifying tests done.

and as a warning, this will be my last chapter till school finals are over.

&& wow, this chapter turned out way different than I thought it would.

&& once again fanfic is being a but about me editing things in its little edit place. e.e -stabs fanfic-

**replies:**

dixiegurl13,, yuppers. ^^ as a matter of fact, that comic does give me inspiration; along with g1. && i love that screamer version -- personally i consider that version better than g1 because he's so much more dangerous. 3 i was originally going to base him more off of the g1 version, but since this is the movie verse, i only found it fitting to have this screamer be screamer, lol. c:

inspire165,, glad you enjoy the chapter. ^^ && yeah, anna is full of the unexpected, lol. ^^

tlcoopi7,, that's what happens when you spend 90% of your time with them for twelve years. x3

trans7.4.7formers,, i thought it was cute also. :3 && thanks for the encouragement! i always appreciate it.

ever free,, thanks for the encouragement! i really appreciate it. && i do plan on continuing the story this summer. ^^ it's just finding time right now (with school coming to a close) has been hard.

**pairings:** starscreamxannabelle vs. ironhidexannabelle; what a twisted little triangle of love.

**disclaimer:** i do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

_"_this-is-cybertronian-and-it-s-a-pain-to-type"

_"this is com-link, or whatever the heck it is called these days."_

_centurion = 100 cybertronian years_

_cybertronian year = 932 earth days_

_orbital cycle = thirteen cybertronian hours_

_cybertronian hour = eight and a third earth hours_

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

She lowered her hand and smiled innocently. "What's with the chivalrous attitude?" Annabelle questioned. "Are you actually nice when you drop the bad ass attitude?" The human placed her hands on her hips and looked at him with a jokingly suspicious gaze.

Starscream stared back at her with a confused and weary expression. "Are you trying to be funny?" he inquired.

Anna placed her head into her hands, and ran them down her face. "Please don't tell me your humor is as dry as Jetfire's," she begged. "Because I _might_ just have to lock you up down here if it is."

"Is that a threat?" the seeker asked.

"Did I hesitate when I said it?" Anna retorted. "Because I'll repeat it again if you didn't understand it the first time."

He snorted at her comment before rolling his optics. "I heard you just fine the first time," he remarked. "I'm just - "

"Not used to someone being wittier than you?" she finished.

"You must really think you're all that, don't you?"

She shook her head in denial. "You would be confusing me with the annoying yellow ferrari upstairs," Anna corrected. "If you wish, I could arrange a time and place for you two to have a little date."

By her smile, he knew she was making a joke, but the funniness eluded him. "I don't get it," he stated dryly.

"Sorry," she returned. "Some times I forget that Sunny isn't a rock star, and that not everyone knows how he is." She let out a deep, relaxing breath. "So feel free to remind me that you aren't in on all the inside jokes."

"Oh, I will," Starscream promised eagerly.

"Are you trying to burst my bubble?" Anna asked.

"What if I am?" he retorted.

"Then I guess I'll have to teach you a lesson," she threatened playfully.

"How?" Starscream asked. "You can't pass through the cell wall without burning your soft fleshy tissues."

The human folded her arms across her chest. "I'll find some way," she informed matter-of-factly. Her threat didn't phase the seeker. She narrowed her gaze down on him as he smirked and chuckled. "Oh shut up!" Anna exclaimed. "You got one good comment in. I've had about twenty." But it didn't stop from him from chuckling. "I will bring my outdated, annoyingly stubborn asshole of a truck down here and have him kick your scrawny ass again," she threatened jokingly. "That way when I fire Sunny for leaving me in bad company, I'll know if I can replaced him with Ironhide, or if I'll have to go kidnap Beeman from Sam to be my guardian."

Despite his injuries from Ironhide and knowing how much they hurt, Starscream couldn't help but let a small laugh escape his vocal processors. It was more than just what she said, but making her frustrated in itself was entertaining. Now he saw why she got so much enjoyment from pestering him. While his logical side told him to get a grip of himself, he continued to laugh because he enjoyed hearing her laugh along side him. It was like an old inside joke that he had rediscovered. With her strong, fearless attitude he could easily picture her ruthlessly ordering Bumblebee to obey her and be her guardian. Most of all, he would love the expression Sam Witwiky would sport when he would find out that his guardian had been kidnapped.

Slowly she began to regain control over he breathing. "It's not _even_ that funny," she remarked.

"Then _why_ are you laughing?" he asked in a tone _too_ light for his taste.

"Because _you're_ laughing," Annabelle explained. "And laughing is contagious."

For once he didn't argue that point. Starscream remembered during the days when all he would have to do would be to glance at one of his wingmates before cracking up. Then like wildfire, they would all begin to laugh until they would be doubled over in pain. The smile on his face was quickly washed away. _'What the hell am I doing?' _he thought rationally.

She attentively watched as his smile began to flip into a scowl. She could feel his stare narrow down on her again. "What's wrong?" Anna asked.

"Nothing," Starscream answered _too_ quickly. "Nothing at all." Not even his years of cunning and deceptive experience could hide the loneliness that lingered in his voice.

"If you want to speak, I'll listen," she offered.

He merely looked away from her.

"It could be our little pact," the human added.

"For who?" the seeker challenged in a slimy voice. "The _pathetic_?"

"No," Anna corrected. "It'll be for people like us."

"It'd be a club for two," the mech criticized.

The human shrugged. "So," she returned. "Three's a crowd, and one is too lonely. So two is a good, even, prime number. You can't divide into a smaller piece -- you can only make it bigger." She smiled weakly. "Besides there's a reason why three, and one, or any odd number is an odd number."

"What would that reason be?" Starscream inquired grumpily.

"Because someone will be left out to be on their own," Anna interpreted. "Besides, odd numbers are queer numbers, and no one wants to be part of a straight some, let alone a queer some."

He stared questionably down at her. "Who says this?" the seeker asked.

"Says my so-called homophobic guardian Sunny," she answered.

The 'con rolled his optics. The smooth sound of air swishing between moving metal caught his attention. The door opened, and a black figure emerged. Columbia blue optics stared back at him with a cold gaze. The optics immediately looked away from the seeker and focused on the human.

"Jetfire!" Anna exclaimed. "What are you doing down here."

His steps echoed off the walls as he walked. "I came to get you before I leave," Jetfire answered.

"Leave?" she asked. "Where are you going?"

"That's not important," he stated roughly. "Come here." The mech laid his hand on the ground. "Now," he added sternly.

Annabelle stared coldly at Jetfire, but unlike Starscream, he didn't glower back. The black mech stared through her as if she weren't there. With a sigh, she gathered herself and walked onto his hands. She could feel Jetfire's fingers curl unnaturally tight around her body.

The autobot gruffly lifted her up to his chest. His optics looked wearily towards his ex-comrade. He didn't need to speak to show his subtle aggression -- it was all in his movements. Jetfire turned his back to Starscream and began to march towards the elevator.

Blaring maroon optics counted Jetfire's every step. The sound of the elevator doors closing felt like a slap to the face. He lowered himself back onto his stomach. His optics winced at the pain of changing positions. The cool touch of the ground felt soothing to his pounding, overheating CPU. Starscream couldn't help himself but to examine the spot where the Lennox child had been sitting. Scenes of her talking to him replayed over and over in his mind. By his scientific nature, he began to analyze the little details; from the small pull of her lips, to how she would always turn her head to the right when she didn't want to discuss a subject, to the cockily cock of her head when she would tease him with threats. Like _them_, it was the small movements that made her unique.

It was more than the small movements and boredom that convinced him to continue to over analyze their last conversation. The seeker was intrigued by how she seemed to wiggle her way out of being on his top ten hit list. It wasn't often that he found someone who seemed to stimulate his mind, or made him feel inferior when it came to comebacks. He strangely found it amusing to be challenged verbally instead of physically. _'Because I actually stand a chance,' _he thought.

His optics traced the path of disturbed dust to the elevator. Starscream smirked icily at the doors. One simple elevator separated him from utter freedom, and to him it seemed pitiful that one door would hold him back from accomplishing his plans; especially for someone of his ranking. He contently closed his optics. Starscream's smirk continued to grow into grin, even as he slipped into recharge.

* * *

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* * *

Of all of the autobot's, Jetfire's room had always been the most fun to play in as a child. She remembered how she would use Jetfire's body as her personal playground, or how he would secretly let her perform experiments under his supervision. The warm, fuzzy memories of this room eased her jumpy nerves. Nothing bad (except a few minor explosions) had ever happened in this room, and she doubted that Jetfire would want to break that streak.

His fingers uncurled, and allowed her to step onto one of his few uncrowded shelves. Annabelle had come to memorize the room so well that she didn't need to look down to know that she stood exactly twenty-two feet and eleven point two inches off the ground. She also knew that this lonely shelf, with its spotless steel top had always been reserved for her use only. Only when Jetfire deemed an experiment unsafe did he put her up on this shelf. Anna glanced up at him briefly, ready to speak, but he beat her to it.

"What the hell are you doing, Anna?" he interrogated. His voice was combination of anger and logic -- never good combination. The fact that he even cursed made him seem more daunting because he _never_ cursed. "Are you _wanting_ to get yourself _and_ everyone else killed?"

"I'm not trying to get anyone killed!" she spat.

"Then what the hell were you doing down there talking with him?" the autobot questioned coldly.

"I had unfinished arguments to resolve," Anna answered snappily. She folded her arms across her chest. "And by the way, did you know your best friend was a decepticon, and _alive_?"

Jetfire's wince of his optics was the equivalent to one of the autobots stumbling back from pain. "He told you that?" he asked shockingly.

"Is it true?" she demanded. "That he was your best friend, but you still decided to kill him?"

He looked away shamefully.

"Jetfire!"

It took all his strength to turn his back to Annabelle. He painfully forced his legs to move him forward, but each step felt like a another stab to his spark.

"Jetfire?"

The soft plea of her voice stopped him at the doorway. The innocence of her voice reminded him of how fragile she was a human. Every logical program told him to turn around, but old memories screamed at him not to make the same mistake twice. The autobot placed his hand on the door pad to show he meant to leave soon.

She hesitated. Her mind seemed to shut down at the shock of him turning his back to her. "Tell my mom that I'll be coming home tonight."

"Sure," he replied unfaithfully. Jetfire shut door behind himself, insuring that his human would stay in the room.

Annabelle's left fist shot towards the hard, unrelenting wall. "Dumb ass!" she shouted at herself. Anna slid to the ground, not caring about how her pounding hand or how it left tiny red smears on the wall from the new skin abrasions. She hung her head low and sighed. Now she had a bad memory to counter all the good memories in this room. '_How come nothing every goes as planned, Primus?'_

* * *

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* * *

Sideswipe drove down the rickety road as he pursued Barricade. The force his wheels produced by traveling at nearly four hundred and twenty-three miles per hour sent rocks flying farther than what most professional pitchers could throw. The sound of rocks cracking and chipping away at his windshield did not phase the persistent autobot. If anything, it made him more determined to catch the decepticon scout.

The black and white vehicle skidded across the payment as he shifted direction. Rocks began to punch through the autobot's windshield to his delight; though Sideswipe's reaction was not nearly as humorous as his brother's would have been. The scout shifted gears, and with a loud _pop_ began to accelerate down a dirt road (which had been built for dirt bikes).

Ratchet followed loosely behind, trying to avoid the debree the two mechs created. The medic began to transform as Barricade slipped into the depths of the trees. _"Don't follow,_" he called out. _"It could be a trap."_

_"Suit yourself, Ratchet,"_ the red twin snapped. _"I've waited too long to beat something up to let this slag get away from me!" _He began to skid across the loose gravel, mimicking Barricade's maneuvers. _"And maybe instead of following me, you can go track down Blacky's beetle." _He shifted gears, and lurched forward after the decepticon. _"That way you can be of some use to me."_

Ratchet came to a grinding halt. He optics look in Sideswipe's direction. _"As your superior, I order you to get back here,"_ he stated. _"There is nothing to be gained from this."_

_"And as the most experienced fighter, I can tell you that he'll be easy to catch!" _he retorted.

_"Just wait for Jetfire and the others to get here,"_ the medic snapped. _"Waiting two minutes won't kill you!"_

_"No, but it'll be more than enough time for that decepti-slag to get away!"_

_"Sideswipe you be -- " _But the young autobot blocked the medic's connection. His yellow hands became tight fists. With an irritated snort, he began to walk slowly. There was no need to waste his precious energy trying to keep up with the younger bots. '_The others will be here in a few minutes to help Sunny,' _he told himself. _'Maybe he'll tire himself out.' _He bent down to pick up a large fragment of Sideswipe's windshield._ 'Should probably call a cleaning crew as well,'_ he thought.

_BOOM!_

The boom's sound wave crackled through the atmosphere like thunder. Ratchet immediately straightened himself out, and looked up at the sky with a quizzical expression. Aside from a few stray clouds, the sky was a diluted ocean blue. His optics began to scan the sky, looking for any fighter jets that may have been out practicing, but all he saw was emptiness. He even searched for a sign of Jetfire, but the usual trail the SR-71 would leave was absent. _"Jetfire are you in the vi -- "_ he inquired before a sharp pain traveled through his left leg.

The large medic whipped around, only to see Scorponok launching himself at Ratchet. The autobot grabbed the large arachnid like robot's chest with right hand. He tried to stall as his left hand began to reconfigure into a medical saw, but Scorponok had dealt with medics on the battle field before. His tail acted as a whip, and smashed into the medic backside.

Ratchet let out gasp before overcoming the initial shock and pain. He could feel the sharp prongs dig deeper into his circuitry. His optics glanced down at the ground, only to find himself, not perpendicular to it, but at sixty degree angle. He struggled to right himself, but gravity's effect eclipsed his struggles.

_THUD! THUD!_

The mech landed on his side before rolling in the opposite direction of scorponok. Scorponok's prongs had already embedded themselves into the medic's circuitry -- preventing Ratchet from escape the scavenger's grasp. The sound of Scorponok's feet scuttling were like big sirens telling the medic to hurry and make a decision.

Scorponok shrieked was the medic flung his left arm around, and cut through the scavenger's tail. Ratchet took advantage of the hunter's temporary shocked, and used it to right himself. At the same time, he could hear the sound of a fighter jet's engines booming in his audio sensors. _'Finally,' _he thought gratefully. But when the medic glanced up, all he saw was a lone, blue tinted F-16 flying dangerously low. _"Sideswipe!" _he yelled through his built in intercom. _"Seeker flying due East!"_

Ratchet returned his attention back to scorponok, but scavenger had already dug himself a tunnel underground. The medic looked around, knowing that the little transformers could pop up and deliver a helluva blow. _"Sideswipe!"_ he shouted again_."Sideswipe you stupid son of a bitch answer!"_ The autobot frequency was silent. Spinning around hundred-eighty degrees, the medic scanned every nook and cranny for a sign of the little slagger. Using his heat sensors, the medic scanned the ground for any warm spots.

The mech lowered his poised arms when he detected no sign of the scavenger. A tremble shook the earth before the crackling sound reached his audio sensors. Ratchet looked up to see a small mushroom cloud forming. _"Swipe down!"_ he yelled over the autobot frequency for all to hear. The mech began towards to the explosion _"Swipe down!" _

"Where do you think you're going?" Barricade asked icily.

Ratchet came to a halt. He turned himself around till he could see the scout looming only twenty-two yards away. His saws began to churn as his way of threatening the younger 'con to surrender. "What do you want?" the medic asked in a restraining voice.

"It's not what I want," he corrected coldly. "It's what he wants." The scout nodded in the direction where the blue fighter jet had been flying.

The medic glanced in Sideswipe's direction before returning his cold stare back to the decepticon. "What does he want?" Ratchet inquired.

"Isn't it obviously? He wants his wing-mate," the mech stated bluntly. "You see, a little birdie named Jetfire, told us that you are holding Starscream captive."

Ratchet stared unconvincingly at the scout. "Jetfire wouldn't betray us," he stated. "He's an autobot."

Barricade made a shrugging gesture. "Say what you want, doc 'bot," he replied unenthusiastically. "But you'll have to face it someday that we've been spying on you and all your little plans without any detection."

"Then why would you jeopardize your so-called spy then?" he retorted.

"Because Mr. Boss Man feels like downsizing," the mech snapped. "And to down size, we need to cut all risks."

"Risks?"

"Yes, risks."

Ratchet took a step back to trees as Barricade began to circle him like a hungry wolf. He abruptly stopped as a sharp prick began to prod his inner wires. He didn't need to turn around to know it was Scorponok lurking behind him. "You're not a talker Barricade -- you _never _were," Ratchet stated. "So why are you talking to me now?"

"I'm just following orders, slag," he retorted grumpily. The mech paused, and nodded to something. "Rodger that, Thundercracker," he added aloud for his own amusement. Barricade's sunset fire red eyes stared maliciously at the medic.

"You don't scare me," Ratchet informed.

"I don't need you to be scared of me," Barricade corrected. "As he needs you to be scared for the safety of your team mates."

"We have you out-numbered," he spat. "You're in no room to negotiate."

"You mean, Jetfire hasn't told you?" the scout asked innocently.

"Told us what?"

A flash of red light zoomed by the medic -- missing the medic by mere centimeters. Ratchet turned around to see the scavenger being flung away by Ironhide. Behind him came Sunstreaker.

Ratchet ducked out of the crossfire. He watched as Ironhide came charging towards Barricade. He would spin three-hundred sixty degrees around with each blow to keep his momentum going. Sunstreaker, using Ironhide as a shield, fired round after round of plasma blasts at the scout, but Barricade, being a scout, was used to the heavy fire. His sturdy, angular armor deflected the blasts; and the decepticon wasn't one to turn away from a fight either.

Barricade and Ironhide clashed with heavy clanks and thuds. Sunstreaker ceased fired, and jogged towards Ratchet. "Bet you're glad to see me," he commented. His blue optics never left Ironhide and he threw punches at Barricade.

The medic scowled at twin's remark. "This isn't the time to be joking," Ratchet criticized.

Sunstreaker casually slid to the other side of Ratchet as Ironhide threw the 'con to the ground where Sunstreaker had been standing. Both watched as Ironhide approached with his cannons proudly gleaming in the afternoon sunlight. Raising his right arm, he took aim at the decepticon's spark chamber. Ironhide studied the decepticon's facial features. He didn't sport the traditional scared look, nor a look of regret; if anything, he was smug about dying.

"You thought you were winning by destroying the cube," Barricade spat. "But you've only begun to lose everything. Your world, as you know it, will be a vague memory soon." He stared the old soldier in the eye. "If it isn't already."

_BOOM!_

Ratchet flinched as Ironhide unleashed his cannons. Turning his head, the mech looked at the blank, eerily calm face. The red light flickered like dying flame for a moment before fading into a lifeless. Years, upon years on the battlefield did not _ever_ prepare the medic to see someone (whether they were friendly or not) die.

"Ratchet!"

The medic snapped his head towards Ironhide. "Yes?" he asked.

"Where's Sides?" Ironhide inquired.

The medic nodded towards the East. "He went off chasing Barricade in that direction when - "

"Cut the story out Ratchet!" he interrupted.

The neon yellow mech couldn't bring himself to scowl at Ironhide for being rude because when he looked at his old friend's face all he saw was a hardened soldier trying to keep his team alive. "Thundercracker is there, and he met your brother. There was an explosion. I know nothing else."

"Is he still there?" Sunstreaker asked.

"I told you already," Ratchet repeated. "I know _nothing_ else."

The black autobot nodded. "Until we know whether the seeker is still or not, we will treat the situation as if he is still here." He shifted his weight toward the twin. "Sunstreaker," he stated. "If you've got the top of that bastard, I've got the underbelly."

Sunstreaker nodded. "That'll be _too_ easy," he commented.

"Don't get cocky," Ironhide retorted. "That's what got your brother in this position in the first place." He began turn away. His circuits bubbled with the anticipation of another battle, but the mech didn't feel nearly as excited as he had on his way here.

Ratchet stood still, confused. "What about me?" he inquired.

Ironhide turned his head towards Ratchet. "Isn't your job clear?" he asked rhetorically. "Get Sides the hell out of there." He rolled his optics. "Goddammit, I've got two sparklings to take care of now."

"You mean protoforms," Ratchet corrected. He picked up the pace, matching Ironhide's broad steps. "Sparklings is politically incorrect."

Sunstreaker peered behind Ironhide to look at the medic. "You know, not all of us are politicians," he sneered.

"_Were,_" he corrected a second time. A simple, cheesy smile adorned his metallic face.

The black mech looked towards Ratchet with a smirk. "He's a battlefield medic now," Ironhide cleared. "And the best damn one Cybertron has to offer." The soldier picked up his face as he began to jog at a modest pace. His optics focused on the horizon, searching for any landmarks that could give his team an advantage. The trees, he knew, would provide camouflage, but as for protection it would do little. _'Goddamit, where is that fraggin jet slag when we need him?'_

Ratchet glanced at his old comrade. Despite Ironhide's daunting stride and rough attitude, the medic knew he would not want to walk (or in this case, jog) beside anyone else but Ironhide when going to battle. There was comfort zone that the old soldier created. Ironhide had seen it all, and had scars to prove it. It was an attribute that Ratchet envied. It made him feel disposable, but the reassurance that Ironhide reinforced put his doubts aside . . . for now.


	10. Chapter 10

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** i haven't forgotten about the story! it's just that about everything that could happen, happened in the past -counts fingers- six days! And I mean both the good and bad; but on the upside, i past all my exams! :DDDDDD -dances-

&& omg! time to celebrate! we hit our first double-digit chapter! -breaks out party gear-

**replies:**

tlcoopi7,, oh yeah. especially since ratchet is about like ironhide and knows all the major decepticon players in some shape or form.

dixiegurl13,, congratz! hope you had fun at the graduation ceremony! && i love it too. they don't have the traditional fluffy relationship at all. -pats them proudly- && don't be giving Ironhide (or the twins) ideas!

ever free,, thanks for the encouragement! i tried to get it out as soon as possible. hopefully the next few chapters will be worth the wait. ;3

**pairings:** starscreamxannabelle vs. ironhidexannabelle; what a twisted little triangle of love.

**disclaimer:** i do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

_"_this-is-cybertronian-and-it-s-a-pain-to-type"

_"this is com-link, or whatever the heck it is called these days."_

_centurion = 100 cybertronian years_

_cybertronian year = 932 earth days_

_orbital cycle = thirteen cybertronian hours_

_cybertronian hour = eight and a third earth hours_

* * *

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* * *

Sunstreaker knew he was known for his vanity, and was quite proud of himself for becoming infamous among his friends. He enjoyed acting like an asshole and ticking anyone off just to pass the time. In many ways, he was just like a human adolescent -- rebellious and "invincible". And like his commander Ironhide, Sunstreaker kept his worries and emotions to himself. The mech didn't like appearing weak or imperfect in front of his peers, especially his brother.

His regal paint glittered in the sunlight. Pale blue optics scanned for a sign of his red twin. The autobot crept through the shallow woods like a deadly leopard. His sole focus on finding his prey -- Thundercracker. Unlike the other times on Cybertron when he tracked a seeker, he hadn't put his spark into it. Sunstreaker couldn't stand the thought of his brother in their clutches, and was determined to get his brother back to the base _alive_. He'd blow up half the Earth if he'd had too. _"Will you stop being so noisy?"_ he hissed through the intercom to Ironhide. _"I can hear you all the way over here!"_

There was an impatient huff. _"Not all of us are sixteen foot ferraris that weigh under a ton,"_ Ironhide growled.

_"I've heard bulls in a china shops that are quieter than you!"_ he retorted.

_"Will you two shut up!"_ Ratchet commented. _"Bickering won't find Swipe any faster."_

_"Well if Ironhide didn't keep scaring away the seeker,"_ Sunstreaker explained coldly. _"Then maybe we would be back at the base."_

_"How do you put up with all this noise Ratchet?" _inquired Jetfire.

Sunstreaker glanced upwards to see Jetfire flying high above the clouds. The black jet seemed to be a tiny dot amongst the vast blueness of the sky. _"You're late,"_ he huffed.

_"Sorry, I was --"_ the jet replied. "_taking care of Annabelle." _

_"Enough blabbing," _Ironhide stated. _"Jetfire, can you see Thundercracker?"_

"Negative."

_"Dammit," _Sunstreaker cursed. His free hand turned into a tight fist. He ground his teeth together in frustration. His optics became slits as he scoured for a sign of the seeker. He could feel his circuits surge with anger. Every ounce of knowledge about Seekers told him that they couldn't be this good at hiding -- especially when there were hardly any hiding places large enough to cover a seeker's wings! Sunstreaker moved the tawny branches out of his way and emerged into the five o'clock sunlight. The mech looked around all three-hundred and sixty degrees without a single clue as to where the seeker went.

_"Perhaps you three should turn in," _Jetfire suggested cautiously. _"Your energy levels must be getting low."_

_"But Swipe - " _

_"It won't do us any good if you won't have enough energy to bring him back to the base, Ratchet," _the scientist justified.

_"I'm not gonna turn in,"_ Sunstreaker retorted. _'Not while he's out there in that bastard's hands,' _he added to himself.

_"Like hell I'm gonna turn in," _Ironhide huffed.

_"I was just suggesting,"_ Jetfire commented._ "Because with Beeman and Jazz coming, I was thinking you two could hold down the fort."_

_"You think we're told old to fight don't you, Jetfire?" _the old soldier remarked bitterly.

_"I never said - "_

_"But you're thinking about it," _he accused.

Sunstreaker, against his better judgement, tuned out of the autobot frequency. He couldn't understand how the others could bicker with his brother missing in action. It was times like this he wondered how they could be so hypocritical of he and his brother. Despite all the trouble they caused at the base, both he and his twin knew how to focus on their mission; and often completed their missions with flying colors. Together they almost had a sixth sense for catching seekers. Combined their specially designed armor, they could take down some of the more exotic seekers -- such as Acid Storm and his rainmakers. Yet he still felt helpless with his brother out there.

The yellow autobot transformed into his earth disguise before zooming down a dirt road. Every joule of energy in his spark told the young autobot that Thundercracker couldn't have carried his brother very far -- it would take too much energy. Above all, Thundercracker would stick out like a sore thumb if any aerial craft saw him. Both of those moves were contrary to the Seekers' guerrilla warfare tactics. He revved his engine angrily. Napping birds suddenly took to the sky at the sound of his snarling engine. Sunstreaker watched as the flock of crows filled the sky together in unison.

"Flock," he muttered to himself. He came to a sudden and screechy halt. Seekers _always_ worked in flocks of at least three, if not a few more. With a sudden realization, the tiny, fictional light bulb inside his head turned on. _"Jetfire!"_ he shouted loudly over the autobot frequency. _"Has Jazz been running any radiation or frequency scans?"_

_"I imagine so," _Jetfire replied. _"Why?"_

_"Because where there is one Seeker, there is another one close by," _Sunstreaker explained. _"And I will bet my spark that Skywarp is with that crack head."_

_"And if he is, then we can track Skywarp by the radiation and matter his teleportation displaces,"_ Ironhide finished happily. _"For once you had a good idea, junior."_

_"I'll go relay the news directly to Optimus," _Jetfire offered.

_"Have them also bring up charts of the nearest military bases -- both closed and open," _Sunstreaker ordered. _"Along with wind charts." _

_"Okay," _the scientist responded.

_"I'll come with you Jetfire,"_ Ratchet commented. _"That way you have some body covering you from the ground."_

_"Sounds like a plan," _Ironhide stated. _"Relay any information you find to us, and we'll get on it."_

_"Yes, Sir," _Jetfire replied.

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* * *

Annabelle hated how boredom lingered in her mind. Not only did boredom make the hormonal female agitated, but it left her feeling left out and _alone_. She laid sprawled out on the top of the shelf with no form of technology to chase away the fleeting feelings of her insecurity. She wasn't worried about herself so much as she was worried about the others -- particularly Jetfire. Anna had never seen him so upset. The usually calm and content autobot was acting anything but calm. Like their captive, she too saw the subtle aggression in his strides. And it scared her. This entirely new attitude that he was displaying had left her to wonder if she really knew him as well as she believed she had.

Anna wouldn't admit it aloud while the other autobots were around, but Jetfire had been her favorite of the entire make-shift family. His relaxed temper and easy-to-please nature had made him the best adopted brother she could think of. Jetfire, for the most part, was the perfect representation of what the autobots to her. She often thought if Optimus was the good citizen, then Jetfire the supreme super hero come to save the day. At least he had always been her super hero -- always there to bail she and the twins out of trouble.

At the same time, he was still rejected. She had seen it herself over the years how he was always the last one to be included. Ironhide, as much as she loved him, was still an asshole towards Jetfire and often reminded the scientist about his past mistakes. The twins also helped Ironhide in this past-time. Anna had always been shocked by how well Jetfire had taken it all these years.

_'Maybe he thought he deserved it,' _Annabelle pondered. _'He always did feel guilty about what he did as a decepticon.' _

She rolled her head towards the sound of the doors opening. From behind the steel doors entered a rather pleasant-looking Bumblebee. His always optimistic and friendly optics met her own set of eyes. Annabelle managed a small smile just for the sake of their old friendship. "Hey Beeman," she said.

"Hello Annie," he replied in his chipper voice. "How are you doing?"

"Could be better," she admitted. Anna lifted herself onto her feet as the autobot offered his hand to her. She casually walked onto his hand. Never had she been so relieved to get away from Jetfire's shelf. "Yourself?"

"Good," Bumblebee replied. "Sam and Mini got back together."

"Again?" she asked.

The mech nodded.

She rolled her eyes and let out a deep breath. "Those two are the worst couple in world," she stated. "One minute they love each other, the next they hate each other." Anna crossed her arms. "That's what happens when you love a whore."

"But Mikaela isn't a whore," Bumblebee defended.

"Right," Anna said sarcastically. "And I'm not a blonde."

"Can you please not be so negative?" Bumblebee asked. "She really is a good person."

She turned her head and looked at the autobot. "For you Beeman, I will shut my mouth up for _today_," she promised. _'After all, I've already pissed everyone else off -- no need to piss any else off.' "_So," she asked. "Why are you here?"

"I'm to take you back to your house, and then regroup with Jazz to help find Swipe," the yellow camaro explained.

Annabelle's eyes enlarged and looked at the mech with a bewildered and worried expression. "What happened to Swipe?" she asked hesitantly.

"He's not reporting back to the others," he informed. "He probably went a-wall for a while. He'll turned up when he wants too." He gave a confident smile, and acted as if Sideswipe did this all the time. "You need anything from your room?"

Anna nodded. "I need to grab my cellphone and my dirty clothes," she returned. The sunflower yellow mech nodded. The human loved how attentive the lieutenant always acted. Unlike Jazz who was just plain cool, Bumblebee was more of a normal kid who enjoyed life. He was the type of bot who you could just talk to about anything from how pretty the stars were shinning to whether brown eggs were better than white eggs. He was lively, but not overbearing. He even carried her with an extra gentleness that the others (including Jetfire) lacked.

"So how is school going Annie?" he inquired.

"Ugh," she groaned. "Still have three weeks of hell."

"It can't possible be that bad," Bumblebee replied.

"You aren't the one going to school," Anna pointed out.

He chuckled lightly. His optics watched curiously as Anna pulled out a small pinky ring. The mech instantly recognized it as Jetfire's handy work. "You still have that ring?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Anna retorted in a soft voice. She held the ring in her palm, examining the detailed work. It was simple band with a simple design. Half of the band was filled with the uniquely red soil from Mars. In the middle of the semi-circle was a perfectly round circle filled with loose soil from the moon. The other half of the band was just the opposite -- the moon soil surrounded a spot of dirt from Mars. The band was coated with a shiny but clear substance from Cybertron. Every bit of the ring was from alien world; which made it all the more special to Annabelle. She carefully slipped it onto her left pinky finger and smiled down at it. It was the one artifact that she would die with -- she was sure of it.

"I thought you would've out grown it, or stopped wearing it," Bumblebee answered.

Anna looked up at him with a surprised face. "That's like saying I'll out grow you guys," she informed. "And I'll never out grow you guys."

"I hope not Annie," he replied. "I don't know what we'd do without you at the base."

"Apparently Prime has some ideas," Anna muttered.

"I heard," the mech said in a sad voice.

"Yeah," muttered back sarcastically. "This'll be a _fun_ summer." Annabelle stepped off Bumblebee as he let her down. She casually slid into her room, and began to gather her items.

"Don't be so negative. It's not good for human health or wrinkles," he insisted. "Besides, as soon as the problem is resolved, Optimus will let you come back."

"Always _so_ optimistic, Beeman."

"Well," he suggested. "If worst comes to worst, you could come visit us down in Nevada."

She peeked around the corner of her door, and stared at him as if he were insane. "Thanks, but I'll decline," she replied bluntly.

He shrugged. "I was just offering," he muttered.

Anna sighed as she collected a Walmart bag full of her dirty clothes. She quickly shoved her phone into her right pocket. "I know. I know and I appreciate the offer," the human replied in a gentler tone. She shut the door behind her, and quickly hopped onto the mech's hand "But Sam and I don't mix well -- he's too much of a push-over."

"Not everyone has to be as feisty as you, Annie," Bumblebee replied.

She gave him a skeptic look. "Hell yeah they do," Annabelle corrected.

"Just wait, Annie," the autobot said. "One of these days you'll find a push-over that loves you, and you'll love him back. And then you'll marry a push-over."

"No," she stated firmly. "I will not marry a push-over."

"It's the nature of humans. You need someone of the opposite of you to balance you out."

"Beeman," Anna reinforced. "You are missing on crucial piece of information. You see I need someone just as hard-headed and as much of a stubborn ass to keep me in line. That way the hard-headed forces we create will cancel each other out."

"I guess you would know best," he responded.

"So, Beeman, are we taking my mom home?"

He shook his head in denial. "Jazz is taking her home as we speak," he informed. "I'm to meet him at your house."

"Good," Anna breathed.

"Why?"

"You know why," she replied in a monotone voice.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"Me too," Annabelle agreed.

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* * *

Jetfire flew a mile above Ratchet as they headed towards the base. The sky became progressively cooler and cloudier as they traveled. Cumulus clouds had begun to build on the horizon. Their dark composition indicated the search for Sideswipe would be harder. The heavy clouds would provide Thundercracker with the perfect cover. It would give Jetfire the perfect cover as well Ratchet thought. The medic tried to through his recent thought out of his memory chip, but the mech couldn't get over what Barricade had said. Jetfire a decepticon? Still? Ratchet had his doubts about over what Barricade had said, but he equally had his doubts in Jetfire. He had shown up exceptionally late; which was unusual for someone of Jetfire's standards.

But Jetfire was a good guy he told himself. Of all the autobots, he seemed the most kind hearted -- not even wanting to hurt a fly if it could be helped. He took exceptional care of Annabelle, and always took the blame for her when she would get into trouble. Over the years he had sacrificed chances to move up the totem pole of respect in the autobot society to play with Annabelle. The mech always seemed to think of others before himself, and acted a door matt so to say. As Ironhide had said, he was almost _too_ kind. Maybe he had been _too_ kind Ratchet pondered.

_"Jetfire?"_ Ratchet asked.

_"Yes, Ratchet?"_ he answered in usual calm voice.

He hesitated. _'What am I doing?'_ Ratchet thought to himself. _'I'm accusing one of my friends of being a traitor. Barricade probably said all of that to confuse me -- to build doubt within the team.' _

_"Ratchet?" _Jetfire inquired.

_"Nothing," _the medic said. _"I forgot what I was going to say."_

_"So," _Jetfire said. _"Are we going to keep this away from Annabelle?"_

_"What?" _Ratchet asked.

_"We aren't going to tell Annabelle about what happened to Swipe, yes?"_ he repeated.

_"Wait," _he stated. Ratchet came to a halt and transformed. He looked up to see Jetfire transforming as well. "We're going to keep this a secret?"

The scientist landed with _thud_. Unsettled topsoil created a small plum of dust clouds. The foggy clouds engulfed his feet momentarily before settling back down onto the earth's crust. "You wish not too?" he questioned.

Ratchet looked at him with bewildered expression. This wasn't like Jetfire at all. The medic had never been a fan of secrets. All they did was create chaos and stir up more trouble; and more often than not, he had seen trust broken by secrets. "I don't understand why we would do it in the first place," the medic stated.

"To protect Annabelle of course," Jetfire explained.

"Annabelle is strong, Jetfire," the medic reminded. "She's old enough to handle bad news."

"But don't you think she's been through enough?" the scientist asked in a protective tone. "She's already dealing with family problems, and with this last stunt . . . " He lost his voice and went quiet. He looked in the direction of the base with a solemn expression hardwired onto his face. He could only imagine what she was doing right now -- young hormonal humans were so hard to understand. "I just . . . "Jetfire sighed and turned his sight back onto Ratchet. "I don't want to put her through any more stress than she has to be put through," he said. "And for all we know Swipe may be back by tonight."

"And if he isn't?" the autobot inquired.

"Then we could tell her sometime when things are less hectic," he added. "But for now, don't you think we should give her time to adjust?"

"Why are you so concerned about keeping this a secret, Jetfire?" Ratchet asked genuinely. "Do you not trust Annabelle?"

"I trust Annabelle," he answered quickly. "I'm just -- just concerned that she may do something else."

"She's just a child, Jetfire," the medic comforted. "She still can't fully comprehend the consequences that follow her actions." His words appeared to have little effect on Jetfire, and the medic gave a nervous smile. "If you're worried that Annabelle revived Starscream out of pure hatred, I think you'd be wrong. She probably revived him to rebel against Optimus and show him that not every plan goes accordingly." Ratchet sighed as Jetfire's gaze once again dropped to the ground. "Nothing bad is going to happen to her, Jetfire," he stated. "She's in the best care in this whole galaxy."

"That's what they said to Chromia too," Jetfire muttered. "And look what happened to her."

"That's different," the medic informed. "She was betrayed by Starscream."

"I know," he said indifferently.

"Then why -- "

"She was talking to him," Jetfire interrupted.

"What?" Ratchet asked in an astonished voice.

"I went looking for Annabelle, and I couldn't find her," he informed. "So I asked Sunstreaker, and he said she was busy retrieving the ring I made her from Starscream. I went to find her, and I heard them." The mech looked at Ratchet with a painful stare. "She was talking to him like he was one of _us_."

"Are you sure of this?" Ratchet inquired.

He nodded. "I could hear it in her voice. She wasn't scared of him at all. If anything, she was more open to him than any of us. She joked to him about Sunny's personality. And he went along with it."

"We're talking about Starscream here, yes?"

"Yes," Jetfire answered.

The mech ran his hand over his face. "Why would he go along with something like that?" Ratchet asked. "He's a decepticon. They're trained to shoot first and ask questions later. Maybe it's because he was once a scientist."

"I doubt that," Jetfire stated. "Even as a scientist, he told me he would much rather examine something dead rather than alive."

"Why dead?"

"Because then you can learn about the body's systems and what the body is weak against."

"I didn't realize he was that malicious back then," Ratchet replied. "I knew he was a little rough around the edges, but I thought . . . "

"You just thought what everyone else thought, Ratchet," Jetfire commented. "There's no shame in that."

"Then if you knew he was like that, why did you join him when he reactivated you?" Ratchet asked. "If you already disagreed with him, it wouldn't make sense to side with him."

Jetfire let out a nervous sigh. "We might have disagreed on things, Ratchet," he explained. "But he was my best mate. He had his flaws, but so does everyone. Even Optimus has his flaws, but we still accept him, yes . . . ?" The scientist's voice trailed to silence. He could still remember the days when Starscream was easier going and much more tolerable. Sure he still had a serious attitude, but at least he smiled a bit more and was happier. The old Starscream (the one Jetfire had grown to love as a brother) knew so much more about life than this new one. "It's like what you tried to say earlier, Ratchet," Jetfire spoke. "He used to be much nobler."

"You miss him don't you?" the medic returned.

"I miss my old friend," he corrected. "Not that murderer that's lying in one of our prison cells."

The mech nodded. "He did used to be a good 'bot," he stated. "I just wonder what happened to him to change him so much."

"The same thing that happened to us -- war."


	11. Chapter 11

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** holy crap. i have no idea why this took me so long to write. o.o anywho, enjoy.

and rotf was omfg . . .

**replies:**

tlcoopi7,, we'll they are a match made in heaven (some days). :x

dixiegurl13,, party's at the ark. c; && yuppers! i'm doing in a slightly different style (1st person) so it's taking a bit longer, but it'll be out next week or two. ^^

ever free,, well i failed the first part of getting it out early. Dx but i got the second part with screamer right. :D i just had to get some of the boring parts out of the way so that the story can be set up properly. :3

randomchick1995,, i'm glad your enjoying the story. c: && thank you. ^^

autobot alythia,, sunny has his moments -- they're just short lived, lol.

tsuki hoshigaki,, it gets better -- sunny plays for the horde. x3

**pairings:** starscreamxannabelle vs. ironhidexannabelle; what a twisted little triangle of love.

**disclaimer:** i do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

_"_this-is-cybertronian-and-it-s-a-pain-to-type"

_"this is com-link, or whatever the heck it is called these days."_

_breem = 8.3 minutes_

_as a note,, i perceive the term "brother" in the tf universe as a close bond that is only one step below bondmate. thus when someone says "brother", it is a very significant term that isn't to be joked around with._

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The rain had begun to pour, and it sounded like hundreds of miniature hammers were beating on Bumblebee's exterior. The old, heavily beaten dirt road leading to her house was a slippery mud pit. The crackling and rippling sound of thunder traveled across the atmosphere, leaving a few moments of silence before filling it with even louder bellows. The pale ebony clouds provided the perfect background to the contrasting lightening. It felt as if every air particle was super charged and ready to explode. It was storms like this that made Annabelle nervous. She didn't mind the rain, but she loathed the snarls of the thunder. She hated how the sky seemed to scream and yell uncontrollably.

_CRRRRRRRAAAAAACK!!!_

Annabelle couldn't moved her head away from the window fast enough as the thunder once again snarled. She pulled her feet close to her, and wrapped her arms around her legs. Not even the gentle sound of _My Immortal _by Evanescence could calm her nerves. "Could you turn up the heater, Beeman?" she asked. "I'm cold."

"Sure thing, Annie," he answered. The sound of the heaters pushing out warm air filled the small space inside the car.

Anna flinched again as another shockwave of lightening rippled through the sky like an angry god.

"Have you always been scared of storms?" Bumblebee asked.

"For as long as I can remember," she stated. "Why?"

"I just find it weird that you being you, are scared of storms," he answered. "You're so stupidly brave at times that it seems funny that you are scared of a little lightening."

"Glad you find it funny," the human replied sarcastically.

"Please don't get mad at me, Annie," the mech said. "I was just poking a little fun."

"I could never be mad at you, Beeman," she informed. "You give off too much positive energy to be mad at you. You're like a sun that's constantly giving off light."

"You've been around Jetfire too long, Annie," he stated.

"Maybe. . . "

The car came to soft stopped in front of the old farm house. Annabelle unbuckled herself before sighing. She looked at Bumblebee's hologram and smiled. There was something boyishly cute about the blonde surfer image that always made her smile. She leaned in forward to give the hologram a brotherly hug. Despite Bumblebee's best attempt to hug her back, she felt sad. No matter how realistic their hologram became, there would always be that lack of human touch to them. And as Annabelle pulled away, she purposely let her hand slid through the hologram. Bumblebee's human image temporarily flickered at the interference. A hologram was nothing more than a fancy ghost, and a constant reminder of what would never be.

She leaned towards the door, and put her hand on the inside handle. "Come back soon, Beeman," Anna said warmly.

"I'll come back as soon as possible," he promised.

She nodded approvingly before opening the door. The human darted for the porch, splashing mud onto her jeans. She raced up the porch steps and out of the rain. Sliding her muddy shoes off, Anna watched as Bumblebee drove away. Annabelle opened the door, and was greeted by an overly excited Duke. "Hey, li'l buddy," she welcomed. She patted his head gently, before walking passed him. Her off-white socks muffled the sound of her feet against the cherry wood floor. She picked up the pace as she passed the kitchen.

"Anna?" Sarah called. Peeking around the corner, the middle-aged woman looked at her daughter as she made her way up the steps. "Anna, will you come down here for a second?" she inquired. "Anna, please. I want to talk to you."

She stopped momentarily. Her left gripped the railing as she thought about her mother's request. Anna could take advantage of this to get back onto her mother's good side, or as she favored, take this chance to be the rebellious teen she was suppose to be. She huffed. "I don't know what you're trying to do," she replied. "But I'm not going to be apart of it." The young woman continued to move up the stairs.

"Anna please," she begged. With her own sigh, she placed the bowl of dog food on the ground before heading up the stairs. She marched up the steps, determined to get to the bottom of Annabelle's bad behavior. She found her daughter's behavior stressful, and it worried her. This wasn't at all like her daughter. Sure Anna had always been a little feisty and ornery like her father, but never had she been purposely disrespectful. Sarah couldn't help feeling that it was partially her fault.

She moved down the cream carpet hallway to Anna's room. Sarah generally would've taken time to at glance at the pictures of the family on the wall, but her mind was too focus on her daughter to care about a picture. Sarah stopped at Anna's doorway. Knocking lightly on the door frame, she asked, "Can I come in?"

Anna continued to stare up at the ceiling as she lay on her bed. Her arms were crossed irritably. "I told you," she repeated. "I don't want to talk to you."

Sarah's shoulders fell down at the negative answer, but it would not deter her. She moved into Annabelle's mildly messy room. She bent down to pick up her daughter's U.S. history book, and placed it on the brown dresser. Her mother rotated the picture of Annabelle and her friends a fraction of an inch. She stared into the mirror that hung over the dresser. The virtual image of an irritable Annabelle didn't help to ease her nerves.

Turning around, she bent down once again to pick up a dirty tee-shirt. Sarah placed the tee-shirt in her lap as she laid down on Annabelle's bed. The woman sighed as her daughter turned her back to her. She carefully stroked Annabelle's head like a caring mother. "Anna," she spoke softly. "Please don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you," Anna corrected.

"Then why don't you talk to me?" Sarah asked.

"Because I'm tired of talking," she returned coldly. "And I'm tired of no one taking what I say seriously."

"It's just a phase," her mother reassured. "I felt the same way when I was your age."

"Somehow I don't think you did," Annabelle stated.

"Anna." She placed her hand on Annabelle's shoulder. "I'll always be there for you," she stated reassuringly. "And I'll always love you, Annabelle." A soft smile grew on her face as Annabelle sat up to face her, but Annabelle's face wasn't nearly as kind.

She brushed her mother's hand away. "That's what you _used_ to say to dad," she retorted. "And now you don't say it at all. So unless you mean it, don't say it."

Sarah reached out and let her arms wrap around Annabelle. To her surprise, Annabelle seemed to melt into her arms. "Annabelle," she said softly. "What your father and I are going through is different. I know it's been difficult for you to grow up and deal with our hectic relationship, but just because I don't get along with Will doesn't mean we have to be estrange either."

She gently pulled her daughter closer to her. "You're _my_ daughter, and my _only_ child," she added. "And I will always love you -- no matter what happens with Will and I." Sarah felt Anna lay her head on her shoulder. "It was you and I for a long time," she explained. "And it'll always be you and I, Annabelle. _Nothing_ is going to tear you and I apart." She leaned down and gently kissed Annabelle on her forehead. She pushed a lock of Annabelle's hair behind her ears. "I love you Annabelle," she whispered. "And I'll _always_ be here for you."

Sarah unwrapped her arms Annabelle, and began to get up when the sound of her name stopped her.

"Hey, Mom," Annabelle asked. She looked up carefully at her mother, and bit her lip. "You want to make brownie batter and watch a movie like we used to do when it stormed?"

She smiled. "We haven't done that in years, Anna," she stated.

"I know," she replied. "But it kind've sounds good today."

"Let's go see if I have any brownie mix in the kitchen," she said. Sarah waited for Annabelle to get off the bed and take the lead before following her daughter.

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The rest of the journey had been quiet. Neither Jetfire nor Ratchet spoke. Both seemed to want to avoid talking about the matter at hand. The light thudding of their foot steps was replaced by the squishing sound of mud and water. The low moan of distant thunder did not phase the metallic aliens. They had become domesticated enough to ignore the threats lightening poised. The feeling of water dripping into their circuits was irritating, but neither complained. It was a small price to pay for close company.

"I wonder how Anna is holding up," Jetfire said, trying to break the silence.

"Not well would be my guess," he replied. "I never understood why she was afraid of a little thunder."

"Humans don't always make sense," the scientist suggested. "They're a very quirky species."

"I couldn't agree more," the medic answered.

The scientific duo turned away from the tall shrubs and gangly trees, and headed towards the side of a low, decaying mountain. What was probably once vibrant landscape with wildflowers and grass had become a dull grey terrain. Rocks littered the area, and only a few patches of grass dared to grow in the poor soil. Loose mud and murky water dribbled in between the rocks on its way down the mountain. The site was unpleasant to most, but a warm welcome to the two autobots. They carefully moved passed a cleverly placed boulder. Behind the boulder two silver doors open, and the drenched autobots entered their base. The two came to a halt as Optimus suddenly appeared from behind a corner. Only their heavy mass kept them from falling onto the ground.

"Optimus, Sir," Ratchet greeted in a surprised voice.

"Easy, Ratchet," he replied. "I didn't mean to scare either of you." He looked down at Ratchet before shifting his gaze to look at Jetfire. "I need you two to watch the base while I help go look for Sideswipe."

"In this weather?" Jetfire inquired.

"Sunstreaker thinks that the Seekers are using this as cover," he informed. "And if so, then I need to go out and help find Sideswipe. I trust both of you can handle this?"

They both nodded.

"Good," he said. "Keep your frequencies open in case anyone finds anything."

"Yes, sir," Jetfire answered. He side stepped to the right to allow their leader to walk through. "Be careful," he added as the doors opened for Optimus. "It's bad weather."

The mech turned his head so that he could see part of Jetfire. "Thank you." he answered. In one swift movement, he transformed into his vehicular mode, before driving off into the rain. His absence was marked by a louder moan of thunder. The storm was coming closer.

A growing puddle of water surrounded both giants. Their dull reflections were disturbed by the rhythmic impulses their bodies gave out. With a slight rotation of his torso, Ratchet turned to face Jetfire. "I'm going to grab some energon from my office," he said. "You want any?"

"Yes, please," he replied. "Thank you, Ratchet."

"No problem," the medic responded. "Why don't you go start analyzing those charts while I get it."

"Yes, sir," Jetfire answered.

Ratchet's feet swished the water around as he walked away. Water that had settled on the flat, horizontal surfaces of his armor ran off of his person, and onto the ground. The medic refused to look at his armor. Like Ironhide, or any of the autobot members, he too had started to develop a thin line of rust along the outer rims of his armor. Earth, for as beautiful as he found it, was not always Cybertronian friendly. No thanks to the rain, the entire group would eventually need replacement parts for armory if they ever returned to Cybertron.

The mech turned into the med bay. His blue optics widened at the mess of his bay. The medic's prized tools were scattered across the floor, and bits and pieces of Starscream's armor lay on the floor as well. It looked as if the twins had been partying all night. The mech's pleasant face turned into irritation. Very few things ever irritated the medic, and having his med bay a wreck was one of them. Ratchet carefully bent over, and picked up his industrial welder. He placed it on the nearest table.

His attention was immediately diverted to a small, coal black shard on the table. It was small, perhaps a third of the size of Anna's hand, with uneven edges. Familiar symbols were embedded into the metal. He carefully picked it up, and stood gawking at the shard.

_'It couldn't be,'_ he thought to himself.

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Sunstreaker stood beneath an overpass with a defeated look on his face. Nothing -- that's all they had amounted to in the pass hour. Absolutely nothing. There was no sign of any Seeker or his brother. They had checked, and then doubled checked the area where clearly a bomb had gone off. There was no sign of any previous struggle between his brother and Thundercracker. It seemed as if he merely vanished.

Ironhide walked slowly towards the youngster. His blue optics held sympathy towards the green horn. The young autobot knew so little about war, and often the old soldier forgot that Sunstreaker had no more experience in battle than Bumblebee; but unlike Bumblebee, Sunstreaker was only the equivalent to a seventeen year old boy -- he took things much more personable than the usual soldier. And in war, Ironhide had learned that you could never take anything personable -- it only lead to trouble if you did. With a heavy sigh, Ironhide stopped beside the yellow mech, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Optimus gave the order to randevu back at the abandoned gas station," he informed.

"I know," he muttered back. The young mech moved out of Ironhide's grasp, and gave him the cold shoulder. He looked towards the heavy skies, watching as lightening raced in between the clouds. His optics searched for a sign of a seeker's reflection, but all he saw was clouds. Sunstreaker officially hated clouds now.

"Don't give me that attitude," Ironhide scuffed.

"I can give you whatever kind of attitude I want," Sunstreaker retorted. He flashed him a venomous glare, before watching the clouds again.

Ironhide's hands became violent fist. "You get your sorry ass heading north now, boy," the soldier commanded. "Before I - "

"Before you what?" the mech snapped. "Give me a lecture on respect. It's about all you can do these days."

"Boy, you're - "

_"Ironhide,"_ Optimus called over the frequency. _"Are you two heading to the randevu point?"_

Ironhide glowered at Sunstreaker. His face stern as he held back every urge to go teach the mech a lesson in respect. _"We're on route as I speak,"_ he confirmed. _"Sunstreaker is leading the way."_

_"Good," _the mech responded. _"We'll be waiting." _The line went quiet after his words.

"Well, he's going to be disappointed," the ferrari remarked sourly.

"No, he won't be," Ironhide warned dangerously. His optics narrowed down as Sunstreaker began to walk away. "Where the hell are you going?!"

The rain began to fall onto his armor, making a light _patting_ sound. Mud and dead grass stuck to his feet as he left the cover of the under pass. His optics glowered at his dirty feet. He hated rain -- he hated mud! He hated this god damn planet and all it's little surprises! Most of all, he hated how inefficient his team was. None of them seem to take this situation seriously. _'Hell,'_ he thought. _'They're probably glad that he's disappeared._' "I'm going to find my brother without you bullshitters to weigh me down," he replied venomously.

"Even if you find them, you can't take out multiple Seekers," the mech answered quickly. "You'll end up dead."

"You mean you would end up dead," Sunstreaker corrected. "I won't."

"What do you mean you won't?!" Ironhide argued.

"Unlike you," he sneered. "I'm not some washed-up soldier. I'm the most _valuable_ to the team."

"Washed up!?" the mech roared. "I am not a washed-up soldier, you fucking slag!" Ironhide marched towards the young mech. His patience with him had snapped for the final time. He lifted his fist, and prepared to teach the sociopath who the authoritarian was.

Sunstreaker turned around, and ducked easily to avoid the soldier's punch. "If you're not washed-up, then please explain to me why you became Starscream's punching bag at Mission City?" he asked hastily. He moved aside easily again as Ironhide threw another punch at him. "You know why Optimus brought you along to Earth?" he taunted. "It's because he didn't want to hurt your ego. Optimus just couldn't bring himself to hurt his old, out-dated friend."

"I'll show you out-dated," he muttered. In one swift movement, his canons slid down to his forearms as he aimed for the mech.

"This only proves my point," he stated. "Without your canons, what are? Seriously, Ironhide, think about it. Without your canons you're nothing but an expendable autobot. And you know what the funny part is? You _actually_ think you're valuable." He lifted his head up smugly, and refused to look at Ironhide -- Ironhide was t_oo_ much of a shame for him to even acknowledge him. "You know, if you had stayed with your friends and joined the decepticons," he stated. "You'd be dead like them. But poor Optimus has to drag your sorry ass every where so you can feel like a hero. It's pathetic -- your _pathetic_."

"I may be old," Ironhide stated. He lowered his weapons as he began to walk towards Sunstreaker. "Hell, I may bite off more than I can chew at times, but I have one thing you'll never have." He stopped a foot away from the yellow twin.

"And what's that?" he scuffed.

"A story to tell your brother and anyone who'll listen about how a _stupid_ autobot got himself killed, and got nothing in return for his death," the mech spat.

"That would be a good story, except that I'll be the one telling the other soldiers about why old bots should leave the fighting to the _true_ soldiers," Sunstreaker retorted. "Then of course, you would _never_ understand." He sneered at Ironhide as he turned his back to his commander. His body began to reconfigure itself as he transformed into his earth alt. With an obnoxious snarl of his engine, Sunstreaker zoomed off.

Ironhide grumbled to himself as the young mech sped away. "Dumb ass," he breathed. The old mech turned around, and began to transform. His wheels spun several times before catching the friction of the smooth road. A black cloud of smoke came out of his tail pipe as leapt from zero to fifty miles per hour. The highway, was silent to his delight. There were no cars for him to tail gate -- nothing for him to vent his anger out on.

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Jetfire sat quietly in the room. His fingers raced across the digital pad. Five different, neon blue screens appeared before him. One was centered directly before him with the other four screens placed at the corners of the center screen. His face displayed quick, analyzing thoughts. In most cases he would take time to examine the data, but with Sideswipe held captive, he couldn't help but feel guilty. Perhaps if he had been more bold, Sideswipe and the others wouldn't be in this position. He scrolled down the page, looking at the day's wind charts. Only the distant sound of Ratchet's footsteps broke his concentration. He swirled in his chair to see Ratchet approaching the room, and apparently holding something other than energon. The confused expression on Ratchet's face brought worry to the autobot. "What's wrong?" Jetfire asked hesitantly.

Ratchet stopped, and held up the shard of medal. "This," he replied. "It's a piece of the Allspark."

"Where'd you find it?" he inquired.

"In my office," the medic replied. "It's a wreck! It looks like a twister blew right through the med bay."

His optics became abnormally wide. Images of Starscream sprawled out helplessly on the floor flood his optics. The absolute look of desperation and helplessness had clung to Starscream's optics, but the shame the prideful Seeker had shown seemed more painful than his wounds. He remembered the look of an unsympathetic Ironhide as he said everything was a-okay. "Starscream," Jetfire breathed.

"What?" asked an even more confused Ratchet.

"Starscream," he repeated more frantically. _'It came from Starscream,'_ he try to add, but his vocal processors were momentarily not responding. The scientist lifted himself out of the chair, and pushed passed the medic. He jogged down the hallway, taking sharp turns and nearly losing his balance in the process. Jetfire was completely unaware of Ratchet as he tried to keep up with him.

The slick, sound of Jetfire coming to a halt was overlapped by Ratchet's desperate call to grab the scientist's attention. The mech quickly pressed the translucent red button, and stepped into the elevator. Turning around, he placed a hand on the far right door of the elevator in an attempt to welcome the medic onto the elevator.

The medic hurried into the elevator. The sound of the doors echoed in the small, metal space. Ratchet's facial expression was torn between agitation and complete confusion. He stared up at the forty-eight foot tall autobot, hoping to grab his full attention, but Jetfire seemed to be too wrapped up in his own little world to even notice the medic. "Jetfire," he stated sternly. "Jetfire!"

His optics blinked at the sudden sound. At the sound of his name, he looked down at Ratchet. "Yes?" he inquired quickly.

"What are you doing?" he replied.

"I'm going to go see if my hypothesis is right," Jetfire explained innocently.

"What hypothesis?" Ratchet asked. The rough stop of the elevator caught the medic off-guard. He peered into the room as the doors opened. The mech hadn't remember the basement being so confined looking. The pale cream floor was surrounded by dark grey-almost brown walls. The ceiling was an even deeper shade of the ugly color. Ratchet watched as Jetfire hurried out of the elevator. "Jetfire!" But the scientist ignored him.

The medic gave a huff, before exiting the elevator. He hated how the brightest scientist (whether it be Preceptor, Wheeljack, or Jetfire) never explained their actions. They always seemed to assume that everyone knew what they were talking about when they referred to something that only they knew. The medic observed as Jetfire carefully deactivated the cell walls before entering Starscream's cell.

The tall autobot knelt down beside the Seeker, overlooking the new dents on his head armor. He hesitantly placed his hand on Starscream's head, and rolled it towards him. Almost a perfect imprint of one of Ironhide's so-called "toes". Jetfire put Starscream's head back into it's original position. With a heave, he carefully and expertly rolled the seeker onto his back. He moved his hand to the Seeker's cockpit, and carefully placed the other one underneath the interior armor. The mech turned his head, and asked, "You think you could help, Ratchet?"

He nodded. The medic approached the recharging seeker. He knelt down beside the scientist. "Hold him down for me," he ordered. Ratchet placed a hand on either side of cockpit, and slowly began to slowly pry it open. The cockpit creaked as natural forces fought against Ratchet to close to the cockpit. A hard click echoed off the walls as the cockpit piece was snapped into an open position. Ratchet peered into the cavern where an eerie, almost light-blue light shimmered through the cracks of his spark chamber. His optics scanned the spark chamber, analyzing the dents and scraps. He noted how the circuit leading to the spark chamber was healed. "I don't see what you are getting at, Jetfire," he said. "There's nothing here."

The ebony autobot stood back, watching the spark chamber. "That's because Ironhide interfered," Jetfire explained. "Optimus relayed the information you told him about the all spark fragment. And there is no spark fragment now." The mech looked towards the medic with a serious gaze. "Which I would bet my spark had to do with Ironhide."

"Why Ironhide?" Ratchet inquired; but as Jetfire narrowed his gaze, he understood. "Good point." He pressed the cockpit down into the seeker's chest. A soft humming sound filled the room, causing both he and his comrade to look down at the seeker. Red optics flashed brilliantly before dimming down -- a sign of low energon levels. Ratchet stepped back as the seeker lurched forward with nullrays pointed towards them.

"If you're playing medic again, Skywarp," Starscream snarled in confusion. "Then you better run before I rip apart that inferior CPU of yours!"

Jetfire knelt beside the confused seeker. He placed a hand on the seeker's shoulder, and another on the nullray. The mech forcefully lowered the raised arm. "Starscream," he said. "Take it slow. There's no need to be starting a fight."

The seeker glared at the mech, before raising his good hand to his head. He half-closed his optics as he allowed his systems to reboot properly. "Get your sick autobot hands off of me!" he growled. He opened his optics as he noticed the presence of Ratchet. "And what the hell are you doing down here, auto-slag?"

"He's certainly happy when he wakes up," Ratchet remarked sarcastically. Kneeling in front of Starscream, he began to diagnose the new dents and loose wires hanging from his chest. "Do you know where you are, Starscream?" he asked harmlessly.

"Of course I know where I am!" the mech retorted.

"Mm?" Ratchet urged, trying to see if the seeker knew where he was.

"Hell," he muttered.

"What?" he asked.

"I said I'm in hell," he replied callously.

The medic looked towards Jetfire. "I think we should take him up to the medical bay," he suggested. "Think you can get him?"

Jetfire nodded. He wrapped his arms around a squirmy and resistant Starscream. "Starscream," he stated sternly. "Stop moving. You're only going to make this more difficult." Ignoring the disgusted growls coming from Starscream, the scientist heaved him onto his back. The seeker instantly quite his complaining as his feet dangled off the floor. The sharp claws dug into his side panels. He craned head as far back as it could go to see Starscream glaring at him.

"What?" he asked coldly. "I'm tired of being man-handled."

"That's what she said!" Ratchet said with a snicker.

Jetfire stifled a snicker as he began to walk. He winced as the mech's grip tightened.

"I don't get it," the seeker complained.

"You don't want to get it," Jetfire warned. With a grunt, he picked up the pace. He moved passed Ratchet as he entered the elevator. He slowly turned around, careful not to accidentally bash Starscream into the walls. As Ratchet entered the elevator, Jetfire felt a mild sense of claustrophobia. He looked up at the blah ceiling as the elevator took them to the main floor.

Ratchet tapped his foot against floor until the doors opened. Leading the way, he deliberately walked at a slower pace so that Jetfire could keep up. He was barely aware of the deep, threatening crackling that came from outside their base. "What your step," he stated, referring to the puddles of water.

"Okay," Jetfire replied weakly.

The medic took a sharp turn into his medical bay. The lights turned on at the movements of his presence. He moved out of the way as Jetfire came with Starscream in tow. He watched as the mech gently laid the seeker down on the white table. "Hey Jetfire," Ratchet said. "Why don't you watch Starscream while I go fetch him some energon."

Jetfire nodded, and watched as Ratchet left the room.

"How's it feel to be their lackey?" Starscream asked sourly.

The mech spun around to face the seeker. "What?" he asked.

Starscream sat in an upright position. "Let's be realistic here, Jetfire," he stated. "You're their lackey. I can see it all over your face. They've beaten the warrior out of you."

"I was _never_ a warrior, Starscream," the autobot corrected. "I'm a scientist just like _you_."

The seeker recoiled at such a statement. "I would _never_ be something so _disposable_," he retorted. "I am a warrior, and one of the greatest since, if not the greatest, since the beginning of our race." He raised his head in pride. "Just look at what I've accomplished since Megatron's disappearance!" He spread his arms out to exaggerate how big his accomplishments were.

"I don't see what you see," Jetfire confessed. "The only thing you've managed to accomplish is to lose everyone that cared about you." He moved forward, taking the seeker off guard. "Please, just a take a minute to look where you," he begged. The mech looked into the seeker's eyes, searching for any remorse that Starscream might have had. "You're going to end up losing everything if you keep heading down this path; including _me_, brother."

"You're _not_ my brother," Starscream corrected harshly. "Thundercracker and Skywarp are my brothers, Skyfire."

Jetfire looked down at the ground. The sick feeling that there was knife cutting into his spark chamber came back. "There was time when you called me your brother," he reminded. He glanced up submissively. "And it was _before_ you ever met those two metal heads. Please, brother, see the truth."

"I acknowledge the fact that we _used_ to have a close relationship," he stated bitterly. "But that was before I realized my destiny."

"Your destiny?" he inquired.

"Yes," Starscream reinforced. "You see, it is my destiny to restore glory to Cybertron, and make her what Primus wanted her to be. It would only take someone like me -- someone who's vision won't become clouded with greed -- to make her the greatest planet to ever have been spawned." He paused, looking at old brother. It pained to see Jetfire being submissive, but he couldn't allow himself to show this emotion. No, he had to be strong at _all_ times. "I wanted you to be part of my destiny, Skyfire," he added. "Together you and I could bring back this glory." He closed his fist as if to catch Cybertron's glory. "Just imagine it, Skyfire."

Jetfire shook his head. "You were always a dreamer, brother," he recalled. "And an ambitious one too." He took another step closer to Starscream. "And I always admired these traits about you," the mech added. "But now I believe these two traits will be the death of you, brother." Jetfire reached out and grabbed Starscream by the upper arm. "Please brother, I don't want to see you die -- you're the only family I have left ."

"Then join me!" he urged quietly. "Become my second-in-command, and help me bring down the autobots!"

"I cannot," he stated firmly.

"Why not?" the seeker asked hastily.

"Because I'm not a decepticon anymore," Jetfire stated.

"If you're afraid that they'll hear us," he whispered. "Then you can tell me over com-link."

"I'm autobot," he stated more firmly this time.

The seeker's optics wearily glanced up at the camera in the corner of the medical bay before flashing towards Jetfire. "You're just _pretending _to be one," Starscream whispered quickly. "You're still a decepticon. Your loyalty is to _me_ -- Starscream."

He shook his head. There was so much Starscream didn't know. "No it's not, brother," Jetfire corrected in a hushed voice. "My loyalties are to Optimus Prime and his allegiance."

The tone of Jetfire's voice told the seeker he was not lying. Starscream shook Jetfire's hand off of his arm. "And when did you decide to switch sides?" he growled.

"The day I met Annabelle," Jetfire whispered.

"You mean that flesh bag?!" he asked through clenched dental plates. "How could you allow yourself to become so soft and corruptible by a _human_?"

Jetfire stepped back. He glanced at the door way, but didn't sense Ratchet's presence. "She's taught me a lot in that one day," he explained. "Including what it means to be innocent." He paused for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts and put them into a logical order. "When I served under you, I only fought because I had too. I could have care less if I died. Most mornings I woke up wondering what my reason for fighting was." His optics kept traveling to the door way, expecting Ratchet to come back any moment. "But now I have a reason to fight, and that reason is Annabelle."

"So if Annabelle wasn't here," Starscream hypothesized, "Then you wouldn't have a reason to fight for the autobots?"

He shook his head again. "You don't understand," Jetfire stated. "I've studied her race, and come to learn that we are very much the same. Annabelle is my friend, and I fight to protect her; but I would also fight to protect her race. To destroy the human race would be a shame. Even though their lives are painfully short, we can learn so much from them. And watching her race gives me hope that perhaps someday, autobots and decepticons can live in relative peace."

"You're _pathetic_," he criticized.

"If you spend enough time around her, you'll begin to think the same way," Jetfire said.

"_Never_," the mech spat.

"Never what?" asked Ratchet.

Jetfire quickly turned his head to see Ratchet walking into the room. The medic held two different cylindrical steel containers -- one in each arm. "He says the autobots and decepticons will never be able to settle their differences," the scientist lied. He flicked his optics wearily at Starscream to keep their conversation a secret. "So what did you bring him?"

The medic set the black steel containers next to Starscream. "I have some high octane energon that we were able to produce at the near-by military nuclear power plant," he explained. He grabbed the said container, and opened it, exposing the fluorescent purple liquid to the artificial light. "Then I have some of Ironhide's special energon."

"You really think he needs an Ironhide dose?" Jetfire inquired.

"It's up to him if he wants to take it."

Starscream looked down at the unopened container. "What's in it?" he asked suspiciously.

Ratchet smiled. "That's a chef's secret," he explained. "But it's powerful enough that you'll fall into recharge within one or two breems. You should wake up fully refreshed, and feeling better than you have for a long time. So only drink it when you're ready to recharge." He whipped his head around to see Jetfire making a painful face. "What's wrong?"

Jetfire held a hand up to his head. "It's nothing," he dismissed. "Just a bit of a surge. You know how it is when the air is charged and you get just enough rust to make a bad connection." He took his hand away as the annoyance left him.

He nodded. "I hate it when that happens," Ratchet replied. "I love this planet, but we weren't design to live here long-term."

"I'll say," the autobot agreed.

_CRAAAAAAACK!!!!!_

All three metallic creatures looked upwards as the sound reverberated through the base.

"Wow," Ratchet said astonished. "This is a nasty storm."

His comrade nodded. "I think I'll call Ironhide to go pick up Annabelle and Sarah before this storm reaches their house," he informed. "I'll meet you back in the office."

Ratchet nodded. He let out a deep breath as Jetfire left the room. "Anything else you need explained?" he asked the seeker.

"I'm _perfectly_ fine," he stated in a stoney voice.

The medic's made a small frown at the lack of gratitude, but he reminded himself he was dealing with one of the most arrogant sparks. He nodded, finding it the most polite action he could produce. Ratchet manually turned off the lights as he left the room.

Starscream leaned his sore back against the wall. Reaching down, he grabbed the high octane energon and it brought it to his mouth. The was taste was bitter sweet, but a welcome taste nonetheless. He continued to hold it in his hand, afraid that if he put it down it might disappear. With a lazy gaze of a contemplating leader, Starscream began to analyze what Jetfire had said. He felt ashamed for his so-called brother becoming tainted by the evil of the humans. With a sigh, he took another sip. "How could you Skyfire?" he muttered to himself. "And to a human?"

His face scrunched up in repulsion. The very thought was enough to make him nausious. The mech closed his optics. Did Skyfire had no shame? His free hand curled into a tight fist. Optimus would pay for corrupting his brother, and so would the human. The seeker leaned his head against the wall. '_But when you see the error of your ways, I'll welcome you back,' _Starscream thought. _'Because that's what brothers do -- they forgive one another.'_


	12. Chapter 12

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** physics class + story = epic lateness

**replies:**

inspire165,, sunny just being a typical, upset sociopath. -grabs spray paint and fluffy hello kitty stickers- mind if i join you? :3 && don't get too mad at Screamer -- he's just being his usual bitchy self. though how jetfire has put up with it for so long has left me confused.

autobot alythia,, whoo! speechless person! -dances- :D && thankies. ^^

happy farmer,, jetfire + starscream = otp

ever free,, yeah sorry, my updates are kind've slow b/c of my physics class. . . :'c

yuki hikari,, all at once??? O.O holy ******!!! && i'm glad you enjoyed reading it. c:

tlcoopi7,, well if they do fight, i'm gonna bet on the seekers, but cheer for sunny.

cadence barrick,, glad you find it exciting. ^^ hopefully this one will be as good as the other chapters. c:

**pairings:** starscreamxannabelle vs. ironhidexannabelle; what a twisted little triangle of love.

**disclaimer:** i do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

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"_Affirmative_," the mech answered in a rough, almost regretful sounding voice. The autobot spun his wheels radically to the left, sending him sliding on the slick black top. He shifted to four wheel drive and assumed control over all four of his heavy duty wheels. His engine growled angrily as he was forced to return to the Lennox. Ironhide tried to convince himself it was better that Jetfire and Optimus given him another task (that involved the Lennox family) since he was within a close proximity to the humans' residence, but he couldn't quite get the pissy, irritable feeling of having another chore to do out of his systems. This task was just _another_ defensive maneuver. It felt as if everything the autobots did was a defensive maneuver, and the soldier was growing tired of being on the defensive. There was no (lasting) satisfaction or feelings of _'c'mon!_' from being on the defensive. Sure, they had always scrapped together a win and usually enough time to lick their wounds; but then they went back on the defensive once more. It felt half-assed, and for a bot who made war his profession, knew half-assing was not how you won a war.

It was how you lost a war. . .

And Ironhide was tired of the autobot's pitiful ways of dealing with hostile situations. His original hopes that Optimus would come to see the war his way were but dust in the wind. If it had been his way, Ironhide would already have been "negotiating" with the decepticons -- holding a canon to Starscream's spark while his brothers watched. It was the only way decepticons understood negotiations. But no, they were on a search and rescue mission once again. It was enough to gag the weapon specialist.

Cars flashed him as he drove on without headlights or windshield wipers working. A few even honk at the so-called "crazy" driver, but the autobots couldn't give a damn. Headlights and windshield wipers only drained his energy faster. Quarter-sized hail and gushing rain didn't phase the mech. Years of living in remote regions caused him to think little about the gathering line of storms. After all, rain was rain -- no matter what form you change it into.

But as the rain continued to pound against his ebony exoskeleton, he couldn't help but keep his canons humming with power. He wasn't afraid of the rain, but he couldn't calm his battle-anxious nerves -- not with the seekers out there. They, he swore to Primus, were the bane of his existence. Had it not been for them, he was sure they would be in a better position than they were in now. '_If we hadn't taken Starscream's offer, we wouldn't be like this_,' he grumbled not to himself, but to his old friends. A pinch of sadness hung on his thoughts. _'If we'd shot him down like I said we should, then - '_ The old soldier couldn't finish the thought. There was too much guilt in it for him to handle, but more importantly he had to focus on the current mission at hand. . . even if it was a simple, rather ridiculous mission.

Lingering thoughts, more like memories, refused to leave him alone. And as the thunder crackled, he was pulled back into his memories. . . _Thunder, so much like the current thunder, echoed in his audio sensors, but there a hidden sound concealed underneath the loud boom -- the sound of a humming engine. He stood atop the reck of a fallen building, and hid underneath the shambling of another building._ _His optics hatefully scanned the foreign clouded skies. Pure determination and revenge flickered behind his hate. Oh how much he hated the rain. He felt someone place a hand on his shoulder, but he didn't dare turn around. "We'll find 'em," Springer stated confidently. _

_"Yeah!" Bumper added enthusiastically. "And when we do, they'll wish they'd never been spawned!" The inexperienced warrior's eyes gleamed eagerly. But the optimistic words had little effect on their commanding officer. The nine foot tall yellow 'bot's gaze turned to Springer with concern. Springer looked down when the 'bot looked at him. "I mean, they'll get it real good, Ironhide," he said. He put on a fake smile. "Just imagine it! The seekers gone! It'll be great!" _

_He let his hand slid off Ironhide's shoulder. He looked proudly over at Bumper. "Yeah," Springer continued, trying to get Ironhide involved. "It'll be great! Without the seekers, we'll have control of the skies! You'll be able to kick more ass without getting as injured." He jabbed the old soldier lightly in the back. "Might even give Ratchet enough time to recharge." Ironhide let out a huff. The teal face's gaze became serious. "Why don't you go inform Impactor that we're waiting for the cloud cover to burn off."_

_The little mech nodded and knew full well there was no reason to inform Impactor. He lifted himself up and headed towards the shadows of the fallen buildings. There some things, as Springer had put it earlier, that only those who had been there could talk about, but these "clubs" weren't something anyone wanted to be part of. Springer had made it his job to remind Bumper of this often; but he couldn't help himself as he hid behind a wall and listened to his superiors' conversation. _

_The fifteen foot mech moved beside Ironhide. He let his azure optics scan the salmon colored skies. Nothing good ever came from clouds on Cybertron. "You aren't going to let this go, are you?" Springer asked as he tip-toed around the touchy subject. He sighed when Ironhide remained silent. He turned his head, and watched as the old soldier stared intently into the skies. "They'll get what's coming for them," he assured. "Optimus will make sure of it." _

_"Prime," he sneered. He snorted, and briefly took his eyes off the sky. He shook his head at Springer's words. Ironhide's optics glanced at Springer. "He's too kind for his good." He unfolded his arms. His canons slid down to his forearms, but remained inactive. "I can care less what he does to the others," he stated. "All that I care about is what happens to that filthy slag." _

_"I'm sure Elita will put in a word to Optimus," the second-in-command wrecker replied. "Chromia was her sister after all." _

_"Doesn't matter," Ironhide muttered. _

_He folded his arms. This scenario right here was the reason why he enjoyed serving under Impactor and not Ironhide. Impactor, as crude as he could be, would be open with his troops. Ironhide was just the opposite. He only told his troops what they needed to be told. "I thought you said you wouldn't let this get personal?" the mech reminded. Ironhide let out a muffled growl. "You aren't the only one who lost a friend that day." _

_Ironhide gave Springer a hateful glower. "I know that," he retorted. _

_"Then stop acting like a decepticon," he spat. He paused, knowing he was treading deep waters with his superior. "We'll have them soon enough, and Chromia will be avenged." _

_The black mech moved away, and began the slow decent down the scrap heap. "Just cover my back," he grunted. He heard Springer call to Bumper, but he didn't listen to the teal's mech full orders. The sounds of metal bending and snapping underneath his feet echoed throughout the canyon. His optics never left the skies. A flash of blue streaked through the clouds before disappearing. The crackling sound muffled his canons' humming. _

_BOOM!_

Ironhide slid to a stop outside the Lennox house. He found it pitiful that he could drift off into his deepest thoughts and still mindlessly drive himself to the humans' farm house. The mech opened his doors as Annabelle and Sarah (accompanied by Duke) ran out of the house and into his safety. Anna naturally took the front seat. Duke had initially jumped into the back, but had decided being in the driver's seat would be the best place to dry his muddy paws. Sarah, as always, decided staying the back seat of an alien vehicle was the best choice. "I guess Jetfire informed you guys?" he inquired.

Sarah watched as Anna brought the muddy canine into her lap. She nodded. "Yes, he called about ten minutes ago," the woman answered. "Good thing too. There are tornado sirens going off just west of here." The truck turned itself around, and began to drive down the hill. "It's suppose to be like this all night."

Without the dog in the driver's seat, he activated his hologram. His hologram had never changed. The old beaten general had thick, but pale skin. Numerous scars littered his hide. He kept his hologram's light brown hair short enough that it seemed almost redish. There was crows feet along the corners of his eyes, and deep wrinkles engraved on his forehed. He had strong jaw line marked by a cleft chin. "You should invest in a basement or a cellar," Ironhide suggested. His pale blue eyes flicked towards Sarah in the rear view mirror.

"We have a cellar," Sarah reminded.

Anna rolled her eyes. "More like The Pitt," she corrected. She flinched at the sound of an usually loud crackle traveled through the air. The sound was followed by the creaking and snapping of an old evergreen. The whistling sound of the pine needles brushing other trees could not be heard as a domino affect began to occur. Duke stared excitingly out the window. His tail hitting Anna in the neck numerous times.

The sound of two other trees falling to the ground left Sarah slightly spooked. "Haven't heard thunder like that in a long time," she said.

Ironhide generally would've replied,_ 'You ain't heard nothing.' _but even he found himself silent. He hadn't heard thunder _that_ loud in a long time. "Probably just a fluke," he muttered, more to himself than to anyone. The mech went to turn on his XM radio, but he couldn't pick up any signal. _'Stupid rain. . .' _he thought hatefully.

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The car ride to the base had been relatively quite. Ironhide had dropped them off before speeding off to rejoin Optimus. He claimed they had some important mission with Sector Seven. His sudden abandoning of them felt like a slap in the face. Being left out of the loop wasn't new to Annabelle -- they had only kept her informed about the basics when it came to most topics -- but the way he acted was abnormal. Something was bugging him, and whatever was bugging him began to turn the gears in her head.

"I don't suppose they have a spare bed room?" Sarah asked as she sat down on the bed. She looked at Annabelle, watching as her daughter stood in the doorway.

"I'm the only human that stays with them," she reminded. "But you can take my bedroom."

"Are you sure?" the human asked.

Anna nodded. "I'm gonna sleep in the reck room," she explained. "And check out this new game that Sunny is _so_ into."

Her mother rolled her eyes. "They really do act like humans sometimes," she commented.

A tiny smiled crept onto her face. "They're intrigued by our culture," she corrected. Anna took a side step as Duke came trotting along. He held one of Ratchet's tools in his mouth. She lurched towards Duke, and pulled out the delicate instrument. "Where'd you get this?" she asked her dog; though she already knew the answer -- Ratchet's medical bay.

"What is that?" Sarah asked curiously.

Anna held it up high enough to keep it out of Duke's reach. "It's a circuit welder," she informed. "Ratchet uses it put _delicate_ circuits together. It's _not_ to be handled by dogs." She sighed. "I'd best go clean it before Ratchet knows it was missing." She spun around on her toes. Annabelle glanced over her shoulder. "You do know where the bathroom is right?" she asked.

Sarah nodded. "Of course, Anna," she answered.

"Good," she replied. "See ya in the morning." Anna strolled out of her mother's sight. Originally she was going to stick to the truth and wash the welder, but Ironhide's silent behavior seemed more important. _'Besides,'_ she thought. _'I'm sure to run into them on my way to the reck room.'_ She thought it to be a good enough excuse to wander around. She shoved the welder into her hoodie's pocket. Following Ironhide's words that Jetfire and Ratchet were busy meant they were either doing a science project or busy working at the monitors. Anna turned around the corner and went with her second hunch.

The monitor room, as Anna loved to refer to it, was far off from the reck room. It was also one of the rooms that made you realize how much security there inside the base. Peeking around the corner, she could see the far wall was dedicated to thermal imaging. She could even see her thermal self looking inwards at the monitoring room. "Hey guys," Anna greeted. Walking into the room, she gazed at the two mechs. Jetfire was huddled in a corner, and apparently in his own little world.

Ratchet was the only mech to acknowledge her presence. "Hello Anna," he stated. His optics flashed quickly to her, before continuing to look at the blue screen in front of him.

Anna sighed. "What are you doing all the way over there?" she asked Jetfire. She began to walk towards him. "You look kind've lonely." She smiled at him, but he never looked her way.

"I'm busy, Anna," he stated bluntly.

The girl put her hands on her hips. His answer wasn't sufficient enough. "Oh c'mon, Jetfire," she persisted. Anna reached for his leg, and prepared to climb her way to his shoulders.

"Anna, stop," Jetfire ordered firmly, almost angrily. His blue optics stared down at her. She immediately let go of armor. She jumped onto the ground. She looked at him with a confused eyes. His tone had even caught Ratchet's attention. "Now," he suggested unsparingly. He turned his head back to to the screen in front of him. "Why don't you go to bed or something?"

She nodded. The human obediently turned around and left the room. She had no words to say, and no fight in her to try to persuade Jetfire to let her stay. Ratchet carefully watched as she lowered her head in anguish. The medic's mouth was parted, but he didn't say anything. Hearing firm words from Jetfire was a rare occurrence. When Anna left the room, he heard Jetfire give a heavy sigh. He, liked everyone else, knew that when Jetfire expressed negative emotions that it was only the tip of the ice burg.

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_Snap! Crackle! Pop!_ That was what thunder sounded like in the autobot base. If they had reinforced the walls maybe an inch or two more, then Anna was sure you wouldn't even be able to hear it. But there were certain areas (such as the med bay or Jetfire's room) where you could not hear the thunder, and it was to those rooms where Annabelle retreated. This base, theoretically, was one of the safest places on Earth, but Jetfire's words did little to comfort the human. But this time it was different. She wasn't retreating from the storm, but from the boredom growing in her head. The soft, flipping sound of her feet against the cold, perfectly clean floor echoed off the walls.

There was a soft padding that her feet made as she walked down the crisp, slightly cold floor. Her old and faded navy blue sweats trailed behind her feet, occasionally sticking to the underside of her foot. The ratty holes were a sign of a hard life for the sweats, but to Annabelle they were broken in and comfortable. She slid around the corner casually as if she owned the place. Loose strands of her sun-streaked blonde hair bounced in harmony with her steps; the rest of her hair (which was kept in an off-white clip) did not move. Her steel blue eyes flickered down the hallways for a sign of life, but to her relief they appeared to be empty.

Annabelle came to soft stop outside the door frame. The door were open, a sign that the autobots did not perceive Starscream as a threat, but it could as well have been because the seeker was in a helpless state of being. Without the ability to walk there was little Starscream could do other than "bitch and moan" as Ironhide would have put it. Leaning against the door frame, she peeked inside to see the vague outline of one of the seeker's arms hanging off the table. _'Good,'_ she thought to herself. The girl took one last glance to her left and then to her right (to insure no one was watching) before entering the room. The light that filtered from the hallway into the medical bay was enough to help guide Anna. Tiptoeing her way around the room, she was careful to avoid the scattered tools.

"If you're trying to be quiet, you're doing a poor job at it."

She spun her head around to see the seeker's piercing, rejuvenated red eyes staring at her. Their calculating stare analyzed her every move, as well as taking in the small, stupid details of her clothing. For a human standards, Anna looked pitiful in her choice of cloth protection. The mud splatters were especially distracting. Ignoring his ridiculing stare, the girl crossed her arms. "Aren't you suppose to be recharging?" she inquired suspiciously.

"I don't require as much needless recharging as you _pathetic_ flesh bags," Starscream retorted. He made sure every word was laced with venom, and purposely reinforced the term 'flesh bags'. Pulling his free arm up, he used it to prop himself into a more comfortable position to watch the human. "What are you doing here, anyway?" he added on coldly. "Because I know for a fact that humans are diurnal, and that at this very moment you should be asleep like the squishy diurnal you are."

"Someone's obviously feeling better," Anna commented sarcastically. She casually maneuvered her way around the room, searching for her little cot. "You didn't answer my question," she reminded. "Aren't you suppose to be asleep?" Plopping herself down onto her blue cot, she leaned against the wall. Anna placed her hands behind her head, and to her delight saw Starscream glower at her for her disregard for him being a decepticon.

He didn't understand how he had found her amusing earlier. All the seeker saw now was a little brat who enjoyed taunting him and reminding him how much he wanted to squish her with his foot. He suppressed the urge to let out an irritable growl. "For your information," Starscream spat. "Your medic gave me lean-way to decided when I want to recharge." His optics darted to the dark container setting on the corner of his make-shit bed.

"Wow!" Anna said sarcastically. "He must really trust you if he let you decide when you want to sleep."

Starscream's slightly grumpy face became sour like old milk. His metallic lips curled into scowl, and the seeker's narrowed his optics on the human. If she was trying to be funny, then she was doing a poor job at making him laugh. And to add insult to injury, she began to snicker. "It's not funny," he stated. He ground his dental platings against one another as she continued to snicker childishly. "I said it's not funny!"

Annabelle stopped her snickering, but couldn't manage to wipe away her smile. "Grumpy much?" she implied. Taking her hands away from her head, she used them to untie her grey hoodie. Anna slipped the hoodie over body, displaying the faded gold letters saying _'University of Wyoming'_. Folding her arms across her chest, she decided to look at him. "I liked you a lot more when you half out of it."

The decepticon made a disgusted snort. "The feeling is mutual," he retorted. "Now why don't you leave, you little energy wasting pest."

She tilted her head at his quirky insult. "Energon wasting pest?" she repeated, trying to sound excited. Sitting up straight, she chuckled. "That's a new one."

"Yes," he spat. "That's what your entire race is! If it weren't for your puny, _irrelevant_ race then I would king! And we'd have our Allspark. Our planet would be _alive_. And we would be beginning the healing process from this mindless war!" He leaned forward on his good arm, trying to get as close to the human as possible. Taking the empty container in his bad hand, he squished it until tiny drops of leftover energon began to drip out of it. "And Optimus would be dead just like Megatron!" The seeker released his grip on the container. Anna watched, imagining it was Optimus, as it fell to the ground. "And I have many more reasons, _human_."

Anna recoiled at the sudden outburst, but with no more room to back up, she merely sat there and tried to ignore his piercing gaze. She would have believed every word he said had he spoken in a more hateful loathing tone than in a frustrated manner. It was cute, and reminded her of a little toddler throwing a temper-tantrum. "Do you really despise us that much?" she inquired.

"If I tell you yes, will you leave?" he retorted.

Anna relaxed -- there was nothing he could do to even _remotely_ hurt her. "Probably not," she answered frankly. There was something (something he couldn't quite pinpoint) about her answer that caught the mech off-guard. Starscream released his grip on the table, and leaned against the wall. "I heard you and Jetfire had a chat," she spoke, trying to make small talk.

"Yup," he said shortly.

The human waited to see if he would elaborate on his answer . . . but he didn't. "So did the energon help?" she asked.

Starscream eyed her irritatingly. He began to imagine and calculate the possibilities of how to destroy her. "Obviously," he sneered. Anna tiredly sighed in defeat, and he smiled in victory. Where were her snappy comebacks now?

He had hoped by giving enough silence, that she would leave, but the human didn't leave. _'Stubborn slag. . .' _The fleshling sat on her cot looking up at the ceiling. The seeker waited for her to close her eyes and fall asleep, but as the minutes became an hour, he began to grow tired of her attitude. Granted, he generally loved silence over pointless conversation, but how she could stare at the ceiling and not say a word both probed his curiosity and irritated him. Starscream tapped his fingers against the table, but Anna's reaction was less than exciting. She looked at him briefly, genuinely confused and maybe curious, but not worried, before staring at the ceiling.

The mech huffed. Starscream began to wonder if she was as ignorant as Skywarp. He silenced his tapping and hoped to her attention; but no, the little fleshling ignored him. The seeker didn't want to speak first -- he didn't want to look weak -- but his curiosity kept berating him. He tilted his head upwards to see what was so excited about the ceiling itself. The seeker narrowed his optics as he began to analyze the faint glow coming from the poor renditions of stars. But the poor quality of the stars and their brightness didn't stop the mech from minutely smiling. The stars matched the exact coordinates of the stars from someone gazing from Cybertron; specially the Iacon Laboratory of Science and Exploration.

"Recognize them?" Anna asked. She smiled at the seeker's astonished face. He nodded. "I keep telling Jetfire that we need to replace them," she added. "But we haven't found the time yet." She let a deep breath, and her rolled her neck around to get rid of the stiffness. "Seems like we never have time anymore."

"If you planned it out," the seeker criticized. "Then you'd have time."

The human stopped looking at the stars, and watched Starscream with an aggravated frown. "Are you always this negative?" she remarked unusually bitter. Anna folded her legs indian style, and crossed her arms across her chest. There was no getting passed her closed body language; and by the way she glowered at him, he could tell she had a personal bone to pick. "It's no wonder why your teammates left you for dead."

"My faction would _never _leave me for dead," he retorted confidently; but inside he knew that the majority of it was lie. If it weren't for his brothers, then it would have been a lie. Starscream knew too well how 'cons made their way up the ranks -- by killing their commanding officer. There was no trust between fellow soldiers. And the only reason a soldier stayed in line was because they didn't want to end up dead. Among the decepticons, you had to pick your battles carefully -- both with your own faction and the autobots.

"I highly doubt that," she stated sourly.

"And why is that?" he snapped.

"Because you pissed Jetfire off," Anna informed. "And it takes a hell of a lot to piss of Jetfire." She began to lean forward threateningly. Her predatory gaze never broke away from his eyes. The human was out for blood. "So what hell did you do to him?" she demanded.

He lifted his head up proudly. It was disgusting by how "big" this human acted. "That's between he and I," Starscream clarified.

"No it's not," she pronounced slowly and ominously. Anna raised her hand, indicating with her fingers short height. "I am this far away from grabbing the fully automatic assault rifle," the human threatened. "Now speak before I decide to go grab it."

"Phh," he sneered. "What's a little rifle going to do to me?"

"You have no chest plating," she pointed out. With a smirk that reminded him too much of his own, she nodded to his bare chest. "One good shot to the right circuit and _bam_! You're down for the count." Anna stood up, crossed her arms behind her chest, and began to stride dangerously towards the seeker. "Now, speak," she spat.

He tried to keep his temper under control, but watching her walk towards him like she was some sort of god was testing his limited patience. "So you're going to try to kill me?" Starscream inquired. "That's _dumb_, considering you just revived me."

She stopped abruptly. "I never said I was going to kill you," Anna corrected. "I just said I'd shot you in all the sensitive circuits. There's a difference." The human expelled a hot breath of carbon dioxide. "So what'll it be, buddy?" she asked in a more relaxed voice. "Swallowing your _pathetic_ excuse for pride, or getting painfully and _humiliatingly_ shot at by a human?"

"Why do you care so much about what Jetfire and I said?" he inquired; the seeker tried to divert the conversation away from violence. "It's rather laughable that you're this flustered by our little conversation." He leaned back casually. The seeker dismissed her threats as nothing more than bluffs. "Besides - " Starscream faked a yawn to indicate the tiredness he should've been feeling. "Our conversation is confidential." His fingers curled around the last remaining container of energon. He tempted to drink it all then and there just so he could avoid listening to her rant; but as she turned around, he found himself suddenly filled with concern. "Where the hell are you going?" he demanded.

"To get my rifle," she replied cheerfully. "And maybe a few of those specially modified grenades." Anna began to skip across the floor. She hummed happily to herself. A wise spread smirk pulled at her lips. Oh much fun it was to act evil!

"Wait!" he spat angrily.

She came to a stop, and gracefully spun around on her tip toes. "Yes?" she inclined a little _too_ innocently. The innocent tone of her voice clearly irritated the seeker.

"Putting our differences aside for the moment," Starscream said scientifically. "Why don't you just ask Skyfire? It would be much easier than going through all of this work just to get an answer from me that might not be right."

"I'm not going to ask him," Anna snapped defensively.

"Why not?" he probed.

The human flung her arm out, and pointed in the seeker's direction. "Because you fucking messed him up, bastard," she accused. "And no one, and I mean _no one_, fucks up Jetfire without paying a price." She lowered her arm, and tried to regain control over the situation. "Now, spill the beans, before I make Ironhide's day."

It was just what he was looking for. The very tip of her voice was laced with an emotion he knew too well -- fear. In his signature smug smirk, Starscream looked down at the human and pitied her (for a moment) for the position that she had put herself in. "You're scared," he chuckled.

"I am not!" Anna protested. "You're the coward here! You keep avoiding answering my questions!"

The seeker raised a suspicious optic. "So you are calling me cowardly for keeping something confidential confidential?" he asked. Starscream leaned dangerously forward, threatening to fall onto the floor. "That's rather hypocritical considering our last conversation, _fleshy_."

"That's different," she combated.

"How?" he hissed.

"Cause no one got hurt," she spelled out viciously. If Annabelle had blinked, she would've missed his almost shocked face. "You didn't actually think that I was being a bitch just to annoy you, did you?" she inquired hatefully. "And before you change the subject, Twenty-two, you did in fact fuck up Jetfire." She folded her arms. "And I want to know what the hell you said to him because I'm sure as hell not going to go ask him, "Hey Jetfire, why are you upset?"" Annabelle's scrunched her nose. "Then again, you are a decepticon, and I doubt you know anything about compassion or sensitivity."

"You're right," he stated bluntly. "I don't know anything about that shit because that shit is for _weaklings_ like Skyfire. Now why don't you make yourself useful and leave." He turned his away away from her and a 'shooing' motion with his good hand. Not to his surprise, she remained firmly planted where she stood. His heightened senses didn't help him to block out her pestering presence. He wished humans could smell themselves and the pheromones they admitted just for a day. Then maybe they'd raise their standard of cleanliness. "You aren't going to move, are you?" he asked wearily.

"Nope," she stated frankly.

Starscream rolled his optics. Could he never catch a break? "Ignoring the fact that you are obviously pissed and that I am in no mood to put up with all your idiotic actions," he stated calmly. "Why are you going to such lengths? Everyone gets their emotions hurt."

"It's more like you ripped his spark out," she corrected. Anna rolled her neck around again, trying to get rid of the kinks that were starting to build up in her muscles and bones. Starscream flinched at the popping noise; nothing good ever could ever come from something that sounded like that. "Sorry," she commented. "But my neck's a bit sore from staring up for so long." This answer was obviously accepted since he did not argue. "And if you remember anything from our last conversation, then you know I feel protective of them. And since I have a conscious, I feel guilty for the pain you inflected on Jetfire since I revived you."

"Good enough," he sneered. "And _pathetic_ enough to be true."

"So are you going to tell me or not?" she berated.

He rolled his optics. "Have I not told you already?" Starscream said. "What he and I talked about is confidential." The mech made another fake yawn. The human responded in her yawn. _'Interesting . . '_ He eyed the door behind her briefly. "But seeing as I'm bored and need mental stimulation," he offered. His eyes flickered towards her. An unknown, but most likely volatile intentions lurked within them. "I'll divulge the contents of our conversation if you do something."

Anna nodded. She wasn't surprised at all that he would want something in return. "Okay," she spoke; deciding to play along for now. "But speaking hypothetically, if I went along and did what you wanted; how would I know you would give the _correct_ information?"

Starscream snorted at her insult. "I've keep your information secretive have I not?" he reminded.

"Yes you have , but - "

"But what?" he snapped. "I'm offering a chance for you to get what you want." He glowered at her in the eye. He made a small mental note (for future reference) of how her pupil enlarged by a millimeter. "You said everything was about give and take. Well, here's your chance, fleshy."

She suspiciously tilted her head to the right. "But how do I know you won't just sell our little conversation?" Annabelle asked. "If you're selling secrets, then nothing will be a secret forever." By the time she finished talking, her face had a poker-like seriousness to it.

"The answer to that is simple," he answered. He watched her lazily, waiting to see if she would try to guess the answer. . . but she never spoke. The seeker sighed at her stupidity. Was everyone he dealt with an idiot? "The less you annoy me, the less likely I am to sell your little secret; though I don't know why you want to keep it a secret."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Of course you wouldn't, Twenty-two," she retorted. "You lack compassion and trust."

He smirked. "You're finally catching on," he congratulated. The seeker paused. His optics scanned over her figure. So many weak points were presented to him, and it was hard to hold back the temptation to exploit the weak points on her body. Especially when he wanted revenge for corrupting his brother. "So . . . do we have a deal?" he asked. Starscream lowered his good arm down for her to hop onto. She stared suspiciously at the hand, then at him. "I won't injured your pathetic, organic body," he comforted. _'For now...'_

The human moved towards the hand. She grabbed hold one of his fingers, and lifted herself onto his palm like a trained gymnast. "You better mean it," Anna spat. "Or I'll sick Ironhide on you." He lifted her up to the table top, and she gladly stepped off his hand. "Why'd you bring me up here, anyway?" she inquired.

He wiggled his index finger in front of her. "No, no, no," Starscream said, talking to her as if she were a newborn protoform. "You don't get to ask the questions." The mech pointed to her, before lightly poked her in the abdomen. She took a reflexive step back, and clenched her fists. "That's my job." He pointed to himself. The seeker lowered himself comfortably onto the table top till his chest was firmly pressed against the cold surface. He propped himself up on his right elbow and placed his head on his hand. "You might want to sit down and make yourself at home," he suggested. There was a short pause, and the human would've sworn he had a sick grin starting to form. "This is going to take a while."

She sat down obediently in front of him. The girl folded her legs neatly underneath her like a good lady. Being this close to him was unnerving at best. He was bigger than she remembered from earlier and very much alive. "So what do you want to know, Twenty-two?" Anna asked, trying to mask her frustration. She hated being the one in a lower, more vulnerable position.

Starscream took his time to answer her question. He began to focus on her imperfections. His optics began to analyze her face first. The imperfections began to register on his internal projection screen. She had a longer face that he assumed came from her mother. It was an unpleasant site for him to see her face so detailed. No human face was symmetrical, and from here he could see it; though humans would never see it. Among his race, faces were perfectly symmetrical; excluding battles scars that could been attained. He shifted his attention back to the human. Bright sunset red eyes flashed hungrily at the girl. "Everything," he hissed. "Starting with this new nickname "Twenty-two.""


	13. Chapter 13

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** me + flu = early update?

**replies:**

autobot alythia,, that just cracked me up, lmao. xD

inspire165,, that's one game i would never play with him. i enjoy my life too much to risk throwing it away, lol. hmmmm... how would he react to a hug? -ponders-

cadence barrick,, o.o -pokes tail- weird. -continues to poke tail-

yuki hikari,, wish i was in your place. && great question! :x you'll have to read to find the answer though.

ever free,, three smiley faces!? omg! :D :D :D :D

tlcoopi7,, well about that . . . -is put back into writing cage by thundercracker-

robot521,, winner winner chicken dinner! :D &&you're right on the money. x3

**pairings:** starscreamxannabelle vs. ironhidexannabelle; what a twisted little triangle of love.

**disclaimer:** i do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

_"_this-is-cybertronian-and-it-s-a-pain-to-type"

_"this is com-link, or whatever the heck it is called these days."_

_centurion = 100 cybertronian years_

_cybertronian year = 932 earth days_

_orbital cycle = thirteen cybertronian hours_

_cybertronian hour = eight and a third earth hours_

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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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Anna shrugged. "There's not much to it," she stated plainly. He beckoned with his left hand to continue to explain. "I mean - it's just a nickname. I don't see why you want me to explain it or anything for that matter, Twenty-two."

He rolled his eyes. '_Humans,_' he thought bitterly. _'Stupid creatures.' _He cleared his vocalizer, and then explained, "I cannot be much clearer that I was earlier." She gave him a stubborn look. She didn't quite get it, but he enjoyed seeing her sit uncomfortably in front of him. He felt a sense of empowerment. With minimal movement of his left arm, he took his hand and scooted the human closer to him. She kept a poker face, but her raised heart beat old a different story. "You," He glowered down at her. "will answer all my question. You will be truthful when you answer. And you will comply." He noticed her mouth begin to open. "And _any_ resistance will be met with no information regarding Jetfire and I."

She stood up, and threw her hands down. "Screw it if you're going to be _that_ strict," Anna retorted. "I'm not going to do it now."

"So you're going to change your mind just like that?" Starscream inquired.

Anna nodded. "Yup," she stated. "And you know why?" She didn't wait for him to come up with a snarky answer. "Because I'm a woman." The human pointed to herself with her thumb. "And I'm allowed to change my mind like that." She snapped her fingers. "So if you excuse me, Twenty-two, I must be going." Annabelle walked around his hand, but her efforts were cut short. Starscream curled his fingers around her puny body, securing her in his grip.

He lifted her close to his face. The seeker opened his fingers enough so that she could stand. He watched amusingly as she used his fingers as supports. "Fleshy," he stated. Anna lifted her head to watch him. She couldn't wait to whip his smug smirk off his face. "You're in my domain, and at my mercy." Anna smiled like a child who had a secret to tell. She shook her head in opposition. "No?" he questioned. Starscream acted surprise. "Then," he said, as if seeing the light. "Then I could squish you and you would - "

"Scream," she finished.

"What?" Starscream asked furiously.

"I could scream," Anna elaborated. She smirked, feeling that the tides were turning in her favor. "And you die," she stated simply. The human nodded with her head towards the camera in the corner. Starscream turned his head to see the camera. "And I know you have better things to do than die today," she added. He turned his head around, only to see his own smirk (miniature size) spreading across her face. "Seeing as we are at a stalemate, Twenty-two, I propose a truce. . . for tonight at least."

"And what makes you think I'll agree to a truce?" he asked bitterly. She took in a deep breath, and opened her mouth. "Okay," Starscream added quickly. He hated to admit it, but he did have plans that only he could full fill; though sinking to such level was enough to wish he was dead. _'Not even Megatron had to sink to such low levels,' _he thought angrily. The seeker leveled his hand, and released his grip. "So what are the boundaries?" he inquired regretfully.

She held up her index finger. "One," Anna stated. "You will not toss, throw, push, or do anything where I could possibly get hurt. If I wish to be lifted up, I will ask you." She raised her middled finger to make two. "We will both answer the questions truthfully." He rolled his eyes, but it was a good enough answer for the human. "Three." Anna raised another finger. "You may only ask one question at a time. Four - "

"Will you just hurry the slag up?" the seeker lashed out. "I'm starting to rust."

"Four," Anna repeated in calm, but firm tone. "If at anytime either one of us wishes to stop, then we will both stop, say our goodbyes, and be each on his or her own merry way."

It was an odd rule, but Starscream didn't complain. It could become of use later. "Agreed," he promised. He let his fingers go limp, and he lowered his hand to the ground; but she went just the opposite way. "What are you doing?" Starscream asked as she crawled up his arms. He ground his dental plates together. The feeling of human hands touching his circuits was degrading.

Anna rolled her eyes. "I don't like being stared down at," she answered. "And quite frankly, I wouldn't put it pass you to "accidentally" roll over me." Starscream pulled her off his arm. "Hey!" she reminded. "I said no violent actions!" He muttered, but Anna couldn't make out the words. He placed her as gently as he could on his wing. "Thanks," she said, unsure of how to interpret his actions.

"Just don't moved around a whole lot," he huffed. He bought his hand back down. The seeker irritatingly placed his head on his arm. He flinched as she plopped herself down. "I said be gentle!" he snapped in a whiny voice. Huffing, Starscream closed his optics. He could the exact outline of the human's warm-blooded body. The delicate sensors could easily pick up on her heartbeat. "I'm going to go first," he established.

"No you aren't!" Anna protested. She rolled onto her belly. She lazily hung her arms off his wings. "You already went! Remember the whole "what are you doing" thing?"

"That doesn't count!" he protested.

"You wanna bet?" she commented confidently. Anna cracked her knuckles. On cue, Starscream flinched at the irritating, painful sounding pop. A wicked smile spread across her face. "Let's analyze what happened, Twenty-two. After the truce, you promptly asked me "What are you doing". And I answered truthfully." The seeker turned his head around enough to give a dirty glare. She grinned in response. "Thus," the human concluded. "It is my turn."

He turned his head away. Under general circumstances, he would've disagreed and fought back, but knowing her . . . she'd threaten him using some pathetic threat. He couldn't risk any chance of being off-lined yet. "You planned this," Starscream complained.

She made a beeping sound. "Wrong," Anna stated. "I don't plan things out -- I just take advantage of a good opportunity." He muttered underneath his breath, but she couldn't make out the words. Laying her head on her arms, Anna let her eyes lay on his head. "Tell me," she asked innocently. "What's your happiest memory like?"

For once, the answer was clear. "The day I was accepted into Iacon's new exploration program," Starscream answered. "Both Prime and Megatron were there, along with several members from the Council of Ancients." He closed his optics to savor the memory of standing on a balcony above some of the most influential Cybertronians of his time. The feeling of success was wonderful. "I was congratulated by many of them personally after the ceremony. Megatron himself said I had great potential. He said that if I ever decided to leave the exploration program, that he would give me a position as his scientific advisor." His face was grim. Remembering happy times was more painful than pleasant. _'It was also the last time he ever praised me,' _he thought.

"How long ago was that?" the human inquired.

"Well before I met Skyfire," he said solemnly. He sighed. It seemed so very long ago since that day. It felt like he was someone else as he recalled his old self. "What about you?" he asked as he put her in the spotlight. "What's your happiest memory?"

She sifted through her memories, trying to pinpoint a single memory. "I don't know," she mumbled. "It'd probably be the day after Jetfire came though. It was the first time I ever got to fly." Her words perked his attention. "It was the most amazing feeling. Staring down at the world, and seeing how small it was. . . there's nothing like it." Anna smiled at Starscream. "You're a lucky one," she added. "Being able to fly on your own - " The human looked up at the ceiling. She could only imagine what it felt like to fly through space and watch all the stars twinkle. "It's got to be amazing."

"It is," the seeker confirmed. "In all my years, I have found there is no better way to relax than to fly."

"It must suck to be stuck indoors then," Anna said, half joking.

"It does. . ." His tone, which was usually sour, held a painful and grim truth. Unlike him, the human did not know what it meant to lose the one hobby that brought him joy. She'd never know what it meant to fly or free. The seeker wasn't mad, but pitied the human. They'd never know what true freedom felt like. '_Sad_,' he thought.

"Cheer up," the human said. "It'll be okay."

"Cheer up!?!" Starscream repeated, sounding astonished. "How the hell am I suppose to cheer up when I'm in an enemy base, capture, and having to baby-sit you or face death?!" He whipped his head around, nearly tearing an already fragile hydraulic out. "Cheering up is about the last thing I need!" Anna gripped his wing edge. There was no telling what he'd do if he lost his temper. "But oh!" he mocked. "I guess you wouldn't understand since you seem to think this is a big game!" He moved his arm to a predatory position.

"You think I'm playing a game?" she asked.

"I don't know what to think of you!" the seeker retorted. "I bought your story about reviving me to keep your so-called "family" together. Okay, that's done and over. Now why you keep coming in to pester me, I can only begin to imagine." He growled before shoving himself into a sitting position. Anna struggled to hold onto the edge of his wing. "Have you ever met a decepticon before?" he asked bitterly.

"No," she stated frankly.

"Well," he said critically. "Let me tell you a thing or two about decepticons. We are and foremost exterminators; which translates to being killing machines to you and the autobots." Starscream reached around the top of his wing, and plucked the insect off. The last thing he needed was to stare a human's bodily fluids. "Secondly," he hissed. He curled his fingers around her body. Annabelle could smell the bitter sweet gasoline traces of energon as he talked. She breathed through her mouth to avoid the awful smell. "Decepticons don't care about pitiful emotions and your pathetic and insignificant problems. Unlike your two kinds, we solve problems -- not discuss them like a bunch of politicians."

"Oh," Anna said. "So you answer with brute force." She nodded, pretending to understand. "How very intelligent. Perhaps that's the reason why your faction lost the cube in the first place." She tapped her index finger against her chin. "Maybe if you'd use your "intelligent" processing unit and logic chip for once, you would've been able to obtain the cube."

She was mocking him. She was playing his game, and doing a good enough job to ruffle his circuits. The smug smile on her face was tempting him to whip it off her face for good. "I am nothing like those brainless, killing obsessed brutes," he claimed in a raspy voice.

"So you're the exception," the human stated. "Interesting."

"What's so interesting?" he demanded.

"You," Anna replied frankly. She leaned against his index finger. He loathed how she acted as if she owned him. "You say your the exception, but claim to be like the others; which leaves me wonder if you're afraid to admit your either different or exactly the same. You mention about how you want to destroy me, but don't; thus implying your a coward. You also say you don't care about our pitiful ways, but your clearly curious." She cast him a weary look, and checked to make sure he was following along. "You're also a bit on edge when I speak; meaning you must perceive me as a threat to some degree. You - "

"Are you done yet?" Starscream growled callously. He shook her off his finger, sending her stumbling. The human caught herself, and proceeded to straighten herself out. There was Prowl-like strictness about her scowl that he instantly recognized. Humans were very expressive with their faces; which he found quite amusing.

"I'm speaking," she criticized. "Now shut your mouth, and listen up."

"Well get to the point before I begin to rust," he sneered.

Anna narrowed her gaze. He had less patience than both the twins combined. "My point is," she stated clearly. "Is why, if you're the exception, did you join the decepticons?"

"That's a complicated answer," Starscream said. He shifted his gaze away from the human and towards the door. He was truly surprised that no one had shown up to claim their human.

"Well then let me use my turn to ask you this," Anna returned. She paused, taking a moment to catch her breath. "Why did you join the decepticons?"

Starscream sighed. He truly felt that he should hate the human. What kind of creature probed into another creature's personal business? He dropped his hand to the table, and uncurled his fingers. "I think it's time you left," he suggested firmly.

Anna stepped off his hand. She faced the doorway with her head held high; though inside she was gravely disappointed. She looked over at her shoulder at him. Starscream kept a stern gaze on her, and his mouth was clamp tightly shut. "Can I ask one more question?"

He rolled his eyes. "Why not?" the mech answered tiredly.

"Do you regret becoming a decepticon?"

He looked down at his damaged leg. His eyes traced the outlines of the dents in his armor. The answer should've been straight forward or at the very least a quick lie, but instead he found himself staring idiotically at his leg. If he was going to lie, the seeker had missed his chance. "I don't really have time to think about whether or not I regret a decision," he stated.

She turned around. "You've got the time now," Anna commented. The human waited, hoping he would speak, but the seeker never looked up nor made any notion that he was going to speak soon. She exhaled deep breath. The walked away with heavier foot steps. '_Some fun this was_,' she thought sarcastically to herself. Anna swung her legs over the table, ad wrapped them around the a thick circuit. "Night, Twenty-two," she said.

"There are somedays that I do regret joining the decepticons," he muttered weakly.

Anna caught herself before she could slid down to the floor. "What?" she inquired.

Starscream looked at her. "There are somedays I do regret being a decepticon," he repeated. The human smiled, but he kept a stern face. "Now get your ass over here, fleshy," he barked. He outstretched his hand, and the human latched onto his finger. The seeker brought her back to him. He sat her on his thigh.

"Why'd you change your mind?" she question.

"I believe it's my turn," the mech reminded. She smiled, seeming to enjoy his sudden mood swing. He rested his hand next to her body to insure she couldn't escape, but he doubted she would try to run away. The human was already spread across his upper thigh, and used his chest as a head rest. There was calm aura surrounding the human as she casted him as lazy gaze. It strange to seeker how she seemed so natural laying on his leg. '_It's from all that domestication_,' he thought. Still, it amazed him how such a feisty creature could be calm. There was no lashes, or harsh words just silence. _'Better not disturb a recharging scorponok though. . .' _"Since your so keen on digging into personal business," Starscream probed. "Then why don't you tell me your best trait."

"That's not a question," Anna reprehended.

Starscream sighed. Even when she was "relaxed" the human wanted to pick on the tiny details. "Fine," he said in rough voice. "What's your best trait?"

"Physical or personable?"

"Personable."

_'Dammit,'_ she thought. The female's eyes flicked to the ceiling. Right off the bat, she could've answered with the words '_feisty_' or _'fun_', but they were dull; and more importantly they weren't her best trait -- though Jetfire and the twins would strongly disagree. Staring at the ceiling, she recalled the days when she used to pretend she was an explorer like Jetfire. "Pretend," Anna muttered.

"What?" Starscream inquired. "You're words are muffled."

"My best trait is that I can pretend," she repeated. "Everything can be wrong, but I can pretend everything is alright. And when even when I know someone's gonna get hurt, I can pretend like I don't know."

"That's ignorance," the seeker criticized.

"But sometimes ignorance is the only thing that holds our lives together," Anna spoke.

He rolled his eyes. "Now you're starting to sound like a philosopher.

"It'd be a first," the human replied weakly. The tiny cheesy smile on her face faded. "If I was a decepticon, what would you think of me?" Anna inquired.

An unusual question, but he didn't hesitate. "I think I'd have to kill you then," the mech answered frankly.

"Thanks," the girl said, taking it as a compliment.

"That's the first time anyone has ever taken a threat as a compliment," Starscream stated matter-of-factly. She smiled, but more curiously there was reddish tint to her cheeks. '_Humans called it blushing_,' he recalled. "Hypothetically speaking," the seeker suggested. "Then what would you think of me if I were an autobot?"

Anna flashed a weary look. "Full answer?" she asked hesitantly.

"Full answer."

She nodded. "Don't say I didn't warn you," Anna stated for the record. Starscream's face was hard to read. There was mixture of curiosity and suspiciousness, but there was a pinch of genuine thrown in. "You'd be an asshole that I would have fun bothering," the human explained. "If left alone, you and I would most likely start world war three over something stupid: like who Jetfire liked more. I'd probably hate your guts."

"Sounds like fun," he said sarcastically.

"But," she added. "I'd pretend that I enjoyed your company just so that you would take me out to fly. So I'd kiss your ass, and keep my snarky remarks to a minimum."

"Flying?" he questioned.

"Don't get me started," Anna suggested.

Now she had him in a grip. His curiosity was becoming too much for him to handle. "Why not?" he asked before he thought.

She gave him a glare similar to someone joking about killing you. "Because I could go on, and on, and on about how cool flying is and such," Anna answered. "And on, and on, and on, and - "

"I get it," he interrupted.

Putting her childish behavior behind her, Anna yawned. She wasn't sure what time it was, but it had to be getting late. _'Or it's from the all the excitement.'_ "What's your worst personable trait?" she inquired.

"You loved finding out the worst in someone don't you?" he recoiled.

"Just answer the question, Twenty-two," Anna replied firmly.

The mech casually examined the room as he debated his worst trait. Starscream had been told his temper was awful, but it wasn't his worst trait -- his temper he considered to be a good trait since it always led to work getting done. Lying, was a good trait, and so was his ability to manipulate. "My ambition," he finally answered. She looked unconvinced. "Many close allies have said my ambition will be the death of everyone -- including me," he added. "Which is just the opposite of what I'm trying to do."

"What are you trying to do?" the human inquired.

"I'm trying to make up for everyone's mistakes," he stated simply, but with a solemn truth. There was a longer silence that followed, and as Annabelle watched him, she could see his face have a human-like sadness to it. His optics dimmed, but never went offline; he had the gaze that so many soldiers had when they came home -- the thousand yard stare. Anna gently stroke the exposed circuits without setting alarm warnings off. He blinked, but didn't look at her. "That's why those two have to die," the seeker muttered.

"Who?" she asked.

"Prime and Megatron," he answered. Starscream stared intently into her eyes. "Make no mistake, those two will be the end of all of us. I've seen it." Anna watched wearily as he curled his free hand into a tight fist. "Megatron cannot see passed his own agenda, but Prime . . . he values the lives of other species over his own race. Prime's trust and guilt will eventually be his demise." He relaxed, trying to keep himself from wasting valuable energon on stressful worries. Starscream looked towards the doorway. "I am a fighter," he stated firmly. "But that doesn't mean I look for my fights."

"What do you mean?" Anna inquired.

"A fighter's job is only done correctly when there is peace," the mech replied.

"That sounds quite honorable coming from a decepticon," she commented. "And I thought you guys were killers."

"Most of them are," he said quickly with a dry voice. "But there is a difference between the heat of a battle and pure joy from killing." There was sleazy smirk on her face. "What are you smirking at, fleshy?"

"You," the girl answered honestly. "You're like a twisted version of an autobot." He sneered in repulsion. "I mean it in a good way, Twenty-two."

"Why are you here?" he asked suddenly; he shifted the subject before he would lose his temper over such a comparison.

"Well," she started. Anna reached into her pocket. Her fingers searched for the delicate instrument before pulling out the circuit welder. "I came to return this before Ratchet murders my dog." The seeker nodded. He remembered seeing the four-legged organic come storming in and rushing away just as quickly. "But I'd be lying if that was my only reason for coming," the human added.

"Then let me rephrase the question: what are you _really_ doing here?"

She shrugged. "Call it intuition, but you seem like a lonely soul," Anna explained. He glared at her, but kept his tongue silenced. The human folded her arms across her chest, and crossed her feet at her ankles. She blinked severely times before the seeker was able to confirm that she was avoiding the question. "I . . ." Annabelle glanced at the doorway. '_Empty_.' "I just don't feel comfortable around the others right now, Starscream." The tip of her voice was laced with truth and dreariness. There was obviously more behind it.

_'Always is,' _he thought bitterly.

It was odd that she would come to him, but she had come to him first about the reason behind his rebirth; so he wasn't _totally_ caught off guard as he had been the first time. The last time she had called him by his formal name, she had meant it as a sign of peace. Was this a sign of peace as well? "It's your turn," Starscream reminded.

"Who do you miss most right now?" Anna asked.

The answer was painfully obvious to him, but he couldn't answer one way or another without betraying one of them. Skyfire had been his first member of his family, and by all rights, would always be part of his family; but he hadn't lied when he had explained that Skywarp and Thundercracker were his brothers. There loyalties to one another weren't built upon trust (like he brotherhood with Skyfire), but from an unspoken and unusual code. Together the trio had gone to hell and back, and Starscream suppose by that right they were brothers. Unlike Skyfire, only they would understand the nightmares that would forever linger in his spark. "My family," he answered cooly.

She nodded. "I can relate," the human muttered. Anna looked up to him. "Can I ask you something totally unrelated?"

"Yes you _may,_" the seeker corrected.

"What's - " Annabelle was cut off when Starscream curled his hand around her. She was about to protest when he raised a finger. She fell silent, and watched as he whipped his head towards the doorway. The mech heard the sound of approaching feet before she did, but neither could see the shadow until the autobot stood in the doorway. Anna bit her lip, and looked down at the table.

Starscream's finger curled around the human's body protectively. He'd be damned if his old brother would try to take away his entertainment. "What do you want, Skyfire?" the seeker asked callously. "I haven't done anything wrong." He turned his angled his body away from the approaching mech. His circuits tensed when the autobot came to a halt three feet away from the table.

"Starscream," he stated in a dialect that Anna didn't understand. The hush tone made his voice husky. "There-is-life-outside-my-world--but-like-the-life-that-attacked-us-before-the-war-this-life-is-hostile---they-will-not-respond-to-negotiations-because-they-do-not-understand-my-language-and-see-my-words-as-threats---they-will-not-stop-till-they-have-what-they-want--but-I-fear-they-want-more-than-what-they-say-they-want---"

His optics intelligently followed along. He held his head regally. "You-seek-my-guidance---" the mech answered.

He shook his head. "You-know-them-too-well--and-even-call-yourself-part-of-them---If-you-go--will-you-tell-them-in-their-native-tongue-that-I-do-not-regret-what-my-spark-tells-me--but-that-I-do-regret-sacrificing-a-star-so-close-to-our-own---" Starscream nodded. "Do-not-touch-the-ground-then---" The azure optics darted Annabelle. "No-sacrifice-shall-be-made-if-another-sacrifice-happens-before-the-neighboring-star---"

"There-shall-be-no-sacrifice-before-hand---" the seeker reassured. He scooted the human closer to his chest. "Just-exchanges-of-rumors---"

"And-only-rumors---" Jetfire reinforced. "For-nothing-shall-go-unnoticed---For-you-recall-the-great-tragedy-that-be-fell-us-soon-after-the-war-began---There-will-be-no-repeats-of-history---Your-spark-will-be-the-only-to-feel-the-pain-this-time---"

"I-too-held-the-pain---" Starscream clarified.

"You-hid-it-well---"

"Only-because-there-are-too-many-who-would-try-to-steal-and-sell-it---"

Jetfire took a step back. He was shocked that such a genuine and sincere statement came from the seeker. His mouth was partially opened, but no sound came out of it. He dropped his head. The mech knew how the inner working of the decepticon system worked, but he had forgotten. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

"You should think before you speak next time," the decepticon criticized. The autobot turned away, and didn't looked back. The echoes of his footsteps faded as he turned around the corner, but stopped outside the room. Jetfire leaned against the wall and listened. Starscream released his grip on the human, and overall relaxed without Jetfire in the room.

"What was that?" Anna inquired. "Pig-latin or something?"

"Something like that," he muttered. He looked towards the human. "What were you going to say earlier, fleshy?" The human groaned. She hit the back of her head lightly against his exposed chest.

"Would it kill you to call me by my name for once, Twenty-two?" Anna asked.

"Probably," the seeker admitted. He took a deep breath. His right hand found the high-grad energon, and he promptly opened it. It was amazing how quickly his body had used the energon from earlier. '_Just a little_,' the mech thought. Anna made gaging sound as the seeker brought the energon to his mouth. He winced at the strong, pungent taste. Starscream had forgotten just how strong high-grade energon was. He happily placed the container down. "What?" he barked.

Anna held her nose close. "Can I grab you a mint or something?" she asked. He childishly breathed on her. The human held her breath; which made the seeker chuckle. Unlike humans who had to digest alcoholic drinks, the high-grade energon was immediately absorbed into the body's systems. Starscream could already feel the effects of the high-grade. She huffed, and gave him a death glare.

"Keep your fleshy mints to yourself," he retorted. He took another sip, just to watch her reaction. He smiled in amusement. "You are quite the interesting fleshy," he commented. "Especially your reaction to energon. For something so common to our species, you are very much appalled by it."

"I didn't used to be so appalled by it," Anna informed.

"Then what happened?" Starscream asked.

"That's a story for another day," she answered.

"It must be pretty bad if your smiling like that," the seeker reasoned. Anna looked away, but nodded. "Since it's my turn -- " The human rolled her eyes. "Why don't you humor me with a secret -- one that you've never told to anyone."

The human closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. "Which secret should I tell you?" she pondered aloud. Starscream tapped the table impatiently. "Hmmm, or should I humor you with funny secret that would make you never take Ironhide seriously again?" The mech took another sip of his energon to vent his impatience. "If I tell you a certain secret, will you promise to keep it a secret, Starscream?" she asked genuinely.

"Must be good if your talking like this," he said slyly. "But yes, I'll keep it a secret."

Anna looked at him with a humble smile. "I think you should defect to the autobots," she explained. Starscream snorted. "That way we can talk like this more often."

_"Pathetic,"_ the seeker mumbled.

The human shrugged. "You wanted to know any secret," she snapped. Annabelle pointed towards him. "So don't give my that "_pathetic_" attitude. You should've been more specific." She folded her arms. "Since your into secrets, I wanna know your most embarrassing secret."

"Okay," he replied in a monotone. Starscream grabbed the dark container. He swirled the florescent magenta-colored liquid around. He brought it to his lips, before chugging the rest of the liquid down. His eyes winced as the potent smell. The seeker whirled himself around so that he leaned against the wall. "That might be difficult to answer since I'm immune to such situations," he answered confidently. The human sighed, but not surprised by his answer. "But since I'm in a good mood, I'll search my memory chip for any situations."

Anna rolled her eyes. "You aren't going to get out of this," she mumbled.

"I know," he replied. "And I swear on my spark I'll tell you, if I find one."

"You better," the human retorted. "Or I'm going to grab my special shotgun."

He chuckled off her threat. He took a deep, refreshing breath as he felt the high-grade energon's effects begin to settle in. He felt the human roll over onto her side, and place her head on his energon fuel line. Starscream felt her wrap her arms around the line. Warnings went off along the sensitive fuel line, and his instincts were to shove her off; but he let her stay.

"You're getting warmer," Anna noted.

"It's from the energon," he answered lazily. "My systems are absorbing it quickly." She nodded. The seeker held himself still, still fighting the urge to push her off. Starscream covered her with his hand, taking the edge off. The mech closed his eyes. Every hot breath she breathed was amplified. He ground his dental plates together. '_Just my luck_,' he thought bitterly. It was a unique experience, feeling the workings of her body. While he had been able to detect her heartbeat, he hadn't felt it beat. _Thump, thump. Thump, thump_.

As the minutes dragged out, he noted how her breathing deepened, but slowed. The rate of her heartbeat slowed to a peaceful pace. He lifted his index finger to see her slipping into recharge. He automatically smirked. '_For such a feisty thing, you're pretty innocent looking when you sleep_,' Starscream thought. '_It's amazing you can shut your mouth as well._' "Fleshy," he whispered. She groaned at the disturbance. Anna half-opened her tired eyes. The human attempted to speak, but it came out as a incoherent words. "I found my embarrassing secret," he said softly. The human gave a minute nod before closing her eyes. "You know what it is?" Anna didn't move. '_Probably too tired._' "I actually half-way enjoyed myself this evening, Annabelle." She buried her head against his circuits more.

Starscream let out a deep breath. He could feel his systems shut down. His optics were the first to go offline, and before he lost his motor skills, the seeker carefully removed the circuit welder. He placed it next to him the table. Then his thoughts became slower and harder to form. "You aren't half-bad for a human," he added in groggy tone. "Not perfect, but not - not too . . ." He finally (against his will) slipped into recharge. His head fell forward, and mouth slightly gaping. It was so much like the old Starscream.

Jetfire stepped forward into the room. His optics darted to the camera in the corner. He'd analyze the data later when he got time. He sighed, watching Starscream. His eyes protectively glowered at the hand covering Annabelle. '_You should've grabbed her when you have the chance_,' he criticized; but he had been thrilled to hear Starscream not totally enraged. The autobot picked up the empty cans of energon. "Just like old times," he muttered. He closed Starscream's mouth. "Just don't let Ironhide see you," he suggested.

He placed the empty cans on the shelf as he re-entered the monitoring room. Ratchet was just as he left him: busily staring at the screen, and compiling it into logical and useful data. "Well, he drank it all," Jetfire established.

"That's good," said an exhausted Ratchet.

The mech stared at the blue screens in front of Ratchet. "What are we going to do about him?" he questioned.

"I don't know," he answered. "We'll worry about him after we get Sides back."

'_If only it were that simple_.' He nodded. "Did you relay the information to Optimus?"

"Yes I did," the medic answered confidently.

"I'm going to go help then," Jetfire stated. The medic didn't fight Jetfire. The autobot moved down the halls at a furious pace. '_I can't believe I'm doing this_,' he thought. He ran his hand down his face. The mech stopped briefly at the medical bay. Starscream was still sleeping with Anna. "The things I do for you," he muttered.

The doors parted, and immediately a roar of thunder greet Jetfire. He stepped into the rain, and took to the skies. No air craft would be flying; which the lowered the risk he would be spot by human civilians. The mech climbed through the clouds till he was out of the storm. "_Optimus, this is Jetfire_," he called. _"I'm going to be late just to see if we might've missed a clue. My connection will be limited because of the storm."_

_"Sounds good, Jetfire," _Optimus replied._ "And be safe."_

"_Will do._" The mech groaned. '_Why does everyone believe me so easily?_' he asked himself. Jetfire dropped his connection to autobot frequency. The autobot hesitated before switching frequencies. '_Please let this be quick, Primus,'_ he begged. He accelerated to the speed of sound without any worries of any human hearing the loud boom of his engines. _"Thundercracker, this Jetfire," _he called. _"We need to talk."_

_"About time," _came a husky reply. "_I'll relay the coordinates to you_." There was pause, and Jetfire took a deep breath. _"And this time, be there."_

_"Yes, sir."_

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**A/N,,** brownie points to anyone who actually understood at least part of jetfire's and starscream's dialect. xD


	14. Chapter 14

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** . . .

**replies:**

autobot alythia,, it'll all make sense soon enough. c; i promise. && yeah, anna and screamer can actually not rip each other's heads off when they want too, lol. xD

starfire,, you're right that it's a code. :D as for the rest of your questions: those will all start to come together here in the next few chapters. ;3

robot521,, awe yes, anna is just as manipulative as screamer. xD && you're about 25% right. :3 -gives brownie point for trying-

trans 7.4.7 formers,, you'll be okay for now. xD the dialect will start to mak sense as the chapters progress. && i'm glad you enjoyed his secret!

yuki hikari,, how about a brownie point for trying? :3

tlcoopi7,, don't tell screamer that! O.O

cadence barrick,, -curls into tiny ball- make it stop! make it stop, lol! xD -waves white flag-

rvb freelancer tex,, yeah, letting the twins read twilight wasn't good. i dunno what anna was thinking. . && i dun care how similar they are. I love all reviews. c:

**pairings:** starscreamxannabelle vs. ironhidexannabelle; what a twisted little triangle of love.

**disclaimer:** i do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

_"_this-is-cybertronian-and-it-s-a-pain-to-type"

_"this is com-link, or whatever the heck it is called these days."_

_centurion = 100 cybertronian years_

_cybertronian year = 932 earth days_

_orbital cycle = thirteen cybertronian hours_

_cybertronian hour = eight and a third earth hours_

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The coordinates that Thundercracker had given him led Jetfire to a remote region just north of the American border with Canada. He could see why Thundercracker had chosen such a place; there were densely packed evergreens and a constant fog -- more importantly, not a road for miles. From his high perch, he could see a blue-tinted YF-23 Black Widow II sitting at the edge of a clearing. The shadows of the trees casted over the slick frame of the aircraft. Jetfire took a deep, nervous breath before descending. He landed as neatly as a Cybertronian could in such wet conditions. His optics watched as the seemingly harmless aircraft transformed into robot sentient.

Much like his superior Starscream, Thundercracker had a triangular chest with elongated arms, but their similarity stopped there. The blue seeker had a more human face like the autobots. He had a longer neck as well, perhaps to account for the human face. The seeker stood much more erect that Starscream, but Jetfire hypothesized it was from the different leg structures. Unlike Starscream who had more bird-like legs, Thundercracker's were thicker-more feline-like; the only similarity between them was they both followed more animalistic features. "Glad you decided to finally show up, Skyfire," he stated with slimy words. The natural husky voice made him sound all the more irritated.

"I've been busy," Jetfire explained.

_Pop_! He jerked his head towards Skywarp's form as it re-materialized out of the violet gas. "More like treachery," Skywarp hissed. His disappeared again. Only when another excited pop echoed in the humid air, did Jetfire realize it was too late. The mech grunted under the weight of the F-117 Black Jet Nighthawk. He stared at Skywarp's crayola orange-red optics. He held a childish, but menacing smile on his face. Skywarp was an almost exact replica of Starscream -- the most obvious being size. He was a good five feet shorter than Thundercracker -- who was two feet taller than Starscream. His appearance was smoother than either of his brothers'. He much more compact and heavily built body, but it suited Skywarp. Jetfire knew Skywarp didn't have a lot of processing units to spare, so he assumed Skywarp made up for it with his bronze. He bent down, and placed a firm hand on Jetfire's shoulder. "We don't spare our traitors," he spat hatefully and truthfully.

"Get off of him, 'Warp!" Thundercracker barked. The black mech regretfully walked off Jetfire. The blue seeker offered his hand to Jetfire, and helped him to his feet. The SR-71 Blackbird whipped Skywarp's lubricant from his face, giving the blue seeker enough time to raise his charged nullrays. Jetfire's optics widened, and predicted the trajectory of the high intensity plasma if it were to be fired; it wasn't good. "Ten years," he growled. "And not even a single message from you." He jabbed Jetfire in the stomach, but not enough to cause any damage. "I have the right mind to end your life right now, Skyfire."

The black mech walked to his brother's side. "You've got five seconds to explain yourself, Skyfire," Skywarp stated,

Thundercracker shot Skywarp a death glare. "Stay the hell out of this 'Warp," he warned. Skywarp crossed his arms, but refused to leave. "Where's Starscream?" he asked through clenched dental plates. "You said you'd bring him."

"I would have if there hadn't been complications," Jetfire snapped.

"Complications?" Skywarp inquired.

He ignored the nullray pointed at his spark chamber. "What the hell do you think you two are doing?" he asked hysterically. "Kidnapping Sideswipe is one thing, but going to the Lennoxes' residence?!" He pushed aside Thundercracker's arm. Skywarp immediately raised his own nullray to compensate. "Are you wanting to get yourselves caught by the autobots?"

The blue mech kept a stern face. "We had to motivate you somehow," the seeker explained.

"Where the hell is Sideswipe?" Jetfire asked sternly.

"We'll give you your precious autobot as soon as we have Starscream," Skywarp stated quickly.

"That makes it near impossible," the scientist retorted.

"We'll see how impossible it is when you're missing an arm," the black mech threatened.

Thundercracker stepped between the two mechs. He placed a hand on both of their chests. "Stop this now," he stated firmly. "There's no need to spill energon, Skywarp." His brother rolled his eyes as he glared at him. "If there's a reason why Jetfire didn't bring Starscream - " He glared at Jetfire. A fury was growing behind those optics, but unlike his two brothers, he had control over his rage. "Then it's probably a damn good reason. . . or it should be," he added danerously. "Now why don't you go check on Barricade, Skywarp."

"That cranky old bastard?" he asked. "You know what kind of mood he is in now?"

"I don't give a fuck what mood he is in, 'Warp," Thundercracker retorted. "Now go before I fry your circuits!" Skywarp made a childish face, accompanied by a screechy noise from his vocal processors. Before Jetfire couldn't comprehend what was happening fast enough. Thundercracker whipped around and grabbed his brother firmly by the underside of his wing armor. "You get your ass moving now, 'Warp," Thundercracker barked. "Before I have to move it for you." He released his brother, and Skywarp surprisingly listened. The shortest mech walked away, mumbling incoherent vile words to himself before he disappeared in a veil of violet ionized gas. Thundercracker let out a well deserved breath, before giving Jetfire the '_don't give me any bullshit_' glare. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, Skyfire," he stated. "Beginning with your excuse as to why you couldn't bring Starscream."

"I would have brought him to you," Jetfire reassured. "But bringing him to you would be useless." He paused, ready to be interrupted by Thundercracker, but the seeker merely folded his arms. "He's lucky to be alive Thundercracker," he explained. "Starscream's in critical condition. He needs a trained medic."

"I can repair him," the seeker informed. "I've repaired him countless times before."

"This isn't a simply fix-up," Jetfire clarified. "He's lucky he didn't die."

"Die?" croaked Thundercracker.

Jetfire nodded. "He had severe damage to his spark chamber the surrounding area from Ratchet's diagnosis. He also has no function of his legs, limited movement of his left arm, and no function of his wings as far as I can tell," he explained. "It's well beyond your capabilities, Thundercracker."

"Then what do you propose?" the mech inquired impatiently.

"Let me keep Starscream at the base so Ratchet can repair him," he answered. "Then when he is in a stable enough condition, I'll bring him to you. Then you can finish whatever repairs need to be finished, _Sir_."

"How do I know you'll bring him back?" he asked.

"Because I have recently informed Starscream about the plan," he replied quickly. "All I ask in return is that Sideswipe is returned to the autobots."

Thundercracker nodded. "By why are you so bent on having Sideswipe returned to the autobots?" he asked. "All he will do is cause more problems later on."

"But with all the autobots' attention diverted to finding Sideswipe; which means Starscream will not be repaired," he clarified. "And if he is - "

"I get it," he interrupted in an agitated voice. "Follow me." He leapt into the air, and transformed into his earthly disguise. The remaining black mech sighed. He too then jumped into the air as he transformed into an SR-71. Two identical clouds followed behind them, and was quickly accompanied by two sonic booms.

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Skywarp stood attentively at the opening of the cave, watching as Scorponok used the harpoon at the end of his tail to lash at the silver-streaking fish in the small creek. He folded his arms across his wide chest, before jumping down from the ledge. Rocks tumbled behind him as he slid down the slick, rocky slope. Yearling saplings snapped underneath his weight. The seeker slid to an easy stop before walking cockily towards the scavenger. He noted the increasing dead smell of freshly decaying fish. He pushed a tall evergreen out of his way, enjoying the snap it made. "Barricade kick you out too?" he asked. The six-legged mech didn't give the seeker so much as a glance. "Thundercracker did a good job on getting your tail back together." The scavenger targeted another fish with more ferocity than the last. "You're a dumb little creature, you know that?" he taunted. "No wonder Blackout's dead."

His stinger stuck the dark clay mud, and dug itself a solid foot into the thick, sticky ground. His red optics traveled across his bug eyes. They narrowed hatefully upon Skywarp. He slowly pulled his harpoon out of the ground, and shook it to dislodge the mud. Skywarp returned the scavenger's death glare as mud splashed onto his recently cleaned armor. "You little, insect!" he growled. Skywarp raised a charged nullray towards the little mech.

Barricade, who had been sunny himself as usual on a ledge, jumped down. His two pairs of optics rolled simultaneously at the bickering mechs. He stalked towards them with a painfully irritated face. Baby rabbits raced back into their holes, fearful of what the black and white 'con would do this time. From the shadows of their holes and evergreens, they watched as the 'con stopped behind the seeker. "Enough," he stated; his statement more directed to Skywarp. The seeker watched him wearily from the corner of his optics. "I'm in no mood to listen to your immature, whiney-ass threats."

"That's a lot of talk coming from a groundling," Skywarp snapped.

"I didn't see you offer yourself up to die," Barricade spat. His sharp claws came together to form a point. "You're probably just like Screamer -- too cowardly to fight."

He turned himself around, ready to give the smaller 'con a knuckle sandwich. "Screamer is not a coward," Skywarp defended. "Look at yourself! Hiding on earth for fifteen years! Who's the bigger coward there?"

"If it weren't for me," the scout informed. "Then we would not know the current coordinates of Megatron's resting site." He straightened himself out, making himself appear bigger before the larger mech. He turned his head as two figures appeared from behind the mountain tops. "Look who's here," he said sourly. The mech moved away from the childish seeker as their temporary leader, Thundercracker, made preparations to land.

He transformed, and landed with only a small 'thump'. The blue seeker strolled towards them with his typical facial expression -- a sour scowl and calculating eyes. To contrast, Jetfire landed with both feet striking the earth at the same time. The surrounding evergreens shook in response to his rough landing. He walked slowly behind his superior like a puppy. He averted his gaze as the other 'cons became aware of his presence.

"Took you long enough, Teecee" Skywarp scoffed.

Thundercracker ignored his lesser companion. He looked over his shoulder to see Jetfire looming above him with hunched shoulders. "I'm going to grab Sideswipe," he announced. "Why don't you three make Jetfire look convincing to his "comrades.""

"What?" asked the scientist.

"The autobots won't believe you just walked into our make-shift base, grabbed Sideswipe, and left without any scratches," the seeker informed. "It's illogical." He began to walk away, and Scorponok followed the second-in-command seeker. "Besides," he said nonchalantly. "It'll only be a few dents." He stopped to look down at the scavenger. "Why don't you stay to monitor those two, Scorponok," he suggested. "Make sure that he'll still be functional enough to transport his "comrade" back."

The scavenger let out a disappointed growl. He watched Thundercracker long enough to see him disappear into the cavern. Facing the other two, Scorponok gave them an uncaring glance before walking back to the stream to decrease the fish population once more. The other two turned around to face a hesitant Jetfire. Skywarp, not having any control over his actions, flung his arm out, and struck the mech in the lower forearm. Jetfire recoiled, and took a step back to avoid another blow.

"C'mon, Skyfire!" he encouraged. "Teecee said you had to look convincing!"

The mech glanced towards Barricade, but loner 'con only folded his arms. "Thundercracker's orders," he muttered unsympathetically. The eighteen foot mech took a step back as Skywarp struck another blow to the mech. Jetfire grunted at another blow to his chest, but held his ground. "Don't look at me," Barricade spat. The larger much dropped his gaze, and stared at the newborn grass.

Barricade stood idly, going back and fourth from watching Skywarp to Scorponok. Occasionally his optics would stray to watch the nervous party of bachelor bucks. '_If only your counterparts were as scared of us_,' he thought, referring to the humans. He heard of tumbling of rocks that announced Thundercracker's return. He walked forward, and pushed the overzealous seeker out of his way. Jetfire was severely hunched over with his optics barely online. Energon trickled out of Jetfire's chest, and was prominently the worst wound he sustained. Other minor wounds marked his body in various places. The large mech glanced down in relief. Barricade rolled his optics before connecting the tips of his claws to the top of Jetfire's head. The shattered glass pitter pattered off Jetfire's face as it fell to the ground. "This is why you wouldn't make it if it weren't for Starscream," he hissed.

Barricade stepped away, giving Jetfire the chance to see Thundercracker drag Sideswipe's ragged and beaten body. The autobot's left arm hung dangerously loose from his body, and threatened to break off. His legs, which were still bound by heavy chains, were coated in a fine layer of black dust. Thundercracker tossed the 'bot to the ground. Jetfire moved towards the red twin, and hesitantly lifted up his face. Sideswipe's battle mask had been ripped away. Puncture marks on either side of his cheeks dug deeply into the delicate internal circuitry. The right optic was missing, as well as an audio sensor.

Jetfire lifted up his autobot comrade into his arms, and avoided looking at Sideswipe's chest. He gave an uncharacteristic, hateful glare to Thundercracker. He kept his mouth tightly shut. "I expect you to hear from you," the seeker commanded. "And _soon_." He nodded, and jumped into the sky. Thundercracker looked towards Barricade. "When will the drone be ready?" he asked.

"Once it has enough energon, it'll start up itself," Barricade answered.

He nodded. "Good," he replied. Thundercracker turned to see Skywarp pestering the scavenger again. He ran his fingers down his face, and sighed. "Be prepared to relocate when we come back," the seeker inform. His lesser scoffed and said something inaudible. The mech walked towards Skywarp, and placed a hand on his brother's wing. "C'mon 'Warp," he said. "Let's go scout for a new base."

He flashed his brother a mischievous smirk. "Whatever you say, Mr. Boss-man," he stated enthusiastically. He quickly turned around and grabbed his brother by both of his arms. In a light violet flash, the two disappeared. Only lightly scorched grass gave away their previous location.

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The medical bay's tranquility was interrupted by the sound creaking, primitive groans. In a flash of red light, the seeker's optics came online with a diagnostic of his body's internal systems. His wounds registered with no improvement, but his energon levels were at sufficient, stable standards. Then he noticed it, or the lack of it. He sniffed the air, but his analyzers could not pick up on the human's hormonal ridden scent. Starscream lifted his hand, but she wasn't there. The seeker looked around the room. He couldn't possible have hurt her during his recharge, but panic set in. There was no sign of the insect's bodily fluids; which he came to the conclusion that she was in tack. '_Where the hell are you_?' he thought bitterly.

It wasn't until he heard the sound of plastic breaking, did he looked under his right hand. A crush case of Tictacs had been murdered by the weight of his hand. The seeker curiously brought the container to a more comfortable view. He suppressed a growl as he read the horrid word '_mint_'. He crushed the rest of the container into a tightly packed and disfigured oval shape. White powder coated the inside of his hands. '_Primus dammit_,' he thought bitterly. He dropped the container and watched it fall back into it's original position. His optics caught notice of a small, yellow note. He plucked it from the table to examine the carefully crafted Cybertronian symbols on the paper.

'_You have bad breath_,' read the first line of hieroglyphics. Beneath it , the human had signed her name in english; he noted the reinforcement of the human's name '_Anna'_ by the two lines underneath. He rolled his eyes. "Fleshies," he scoffed. His eyes trailed to the last line. '_P.S. You still owe me that embarrassing secret_.' The 'con smirked in satisfaction that the human did not recall his last words. '_Pathetic fleshy memory banks_. . .' His attention was quickly diverted at the sound of elevated stress levels.

"Am I worth nothing to you guys?!" the human shouted; the voice clearly coming from Annabelle.

"Anna, we were only doing what we thought best for you," Ratchet justified. "We didn't want to put you under any more stress. . . Especially since you're clearly not functioning correctly."

There was definite pause, and the seeker wondered for a second if the human had decided to retreat. "If you guys took me serious for once, then we wouldn't be here," Anna snapped. "But no, you guys continue to treat me like I'm a protoform. Hell, you keep the twins more informed than me! And maybe you don't realize it Ratchet, but humans mature a lot faster than your race. So don't give my any of that bullshit that you're about to preach." Starscream smiled at the new knowledge that she wasn't feisty only with him.

"If you took a deep breath, Annabelle, then you'd see it the way I see it," the medic replied; his calm tone slowly being eroded into an irritable pitch.

"That's the problem Ratch'," the human retorted. "You only see it through your point of view. If you for once saw it through my perspective, then you'd understand."

"That still does not justify a good enough reason to bring him back," the autobot stated bluntly.

"Then what justifies your decision to condemn him to death?" Anna spat. "If I recall correctly, you guys are suppose to be "good" guys. . ." The bickering duo was close enough that he could hear Ratchet's internal systems humming angrily. "Or are you guys just big hypocrites?"

"You know you weren't the only one not informed," the mech argued; changing the subject back to it's original dispute.

"Who? Twenty-two?" the human growled. "Big fucking wood-pi-do, Ratchet! You're comparing me to a scum-bag asshole like him?" Starscream sneered at her pathetic insult. '_You'd think she'd be a little more creative like she is around me_,' he thought callously. "Where the hell are you going?" she called after him. The seeker leaned back as he saw the first sign of Ratchet's arm. "You get your ass back here, Ratchet!" Anna yelled. "This is _not_ over!"

"I'm not going to give you a fight, Anna," the medic answered as he walked into the medical bay. Ratchet closed the doors behind him before Anna could wiggle her way into the room. With a frustrated groan, the mech cast tired look towards Starscream. "She's a feisty little thing when she's angry," he said matter-of-factly.

'_Welcome to my world_,' he commented to himself. He narrowed his optics suspiciously upon the walking medic. His hands naturally gripped the table's edge as Ratchet approached him. "What are you doing here?" he hissed. The autobot ignored the seeker, but turned abruptly as he made a pit-stop to search for an item. '_Just stay there_,' he thought. '_And no one will get hurt._' His hopes quickly dwindled as the medic pulled out an ominous looking-box from one of the high-shelves. '_Primus, damn him to hell_,' he ordered as the mech came towards him again.

Ratchet set the metallic box onto the table next the seeker. "Anna has apparently taken a liking to you, Screamer," he stated plainly; the seeker deduced this to be what humans referred to as "small" talk. Ratchet glanced at the 'con, before rummaging through the box. "Never thought she'd be the type to find comfort talking to a stranger over one of us." The medic pulled out a circular device. Tiny symbols were engraved onto the steel gray surface.

"She may think the same about you," the seeker retorted.

The yellow 'bot made fake smile coated with a half-laugh. "I guess you would know," he replied.

"I would," he stated smugly. The growing smirk on his face was whipped away as Ratchet reached for his head. Starscream grabbed the medic's wrist. "I _never_ gave you permission to touch me!" he growled. The medic winced as the seeker tightened his grip. "What the hell are you trying to do anyway, _slag_?"

Ratchet tried to yank his hand away from the seeker, but the unique design of the seeker's hands (with a thumb on either side of his three middle fingers) made it difficult to escape his grasp. His blue optics glared at the seeker. "You're obviously suffering from an internal programming error," he stated, trying to keep his tone at an appropriate level. "Since your systems have not begun to repair themselves on their own, it leads me to believe you have more untold damage than I predicted." He paused, giving Starscream a well-deserved stern glare. "If you let go, I will be better able to diagnose the problem, Screamer." The 'con released his grip, but made sure his protested snort was loud enough to be heard.

The yellow mech reached forward to implant the device on the light gray circuit leading from his chest to his neck. The 'con shifted to avoid being pricked by it. "No one touches me," he snarled.

"I'm not going to harm you, Screamer," Ratchet stated.

He sneered. "Like I'm going to believe that," he retorted. "You can't hide it, Ratchet -- you have it out for me just like the others."

The medic was appalled at the accusation. "I have not done anything to harm you, 'con," he informed. "If anything, Annabelle and I have been the only ones not bent on your immediate termination." He set the device down onto the table. "Now if you choose to remain in an unstable condition, I will not fight you; but as an experienced medic, I highly advise letting me analyze your basic functions."

The 'con couldn't argue with the medic's logic, but his ego fought against the seeker's logic chip. "Fine," he muttered irritably. He kept his optics trained on the medic, never once letting his optics show anything but resentment. A low rumble echoed from the seeker's vocal processors as the device pricked his circuit. Warning systems flashed as the medic pressed the device farther into the circuit. It was unnerving at best to have someone not of his trine have their hands close to his neck.

"See," the medic said as he removed his hands. "That wasn't bad at all." He lifted up the box, and carted it over to an adjacent table. "You must have some good friends," the medic said, more to himself than to the 'con. He looked towards the seeker. "They've kept you in good shape." The seeker remained silent as the medic had predicted. "So who is it? Thundercracker?" The medic sighed. '_No wonder he didn't have very many friends growing up_.' "How's Skywarp doing? Did he ever get his memories back after the incident?"

"What are you wanting?" Starscream asked in a displeased tone.

"What's wrong with Annabelle?" he asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about, auto-slag," the 'con said innocently.

The medic's tired optics strained to glower at the mech. "I'm not in a mood to play games, Starscream," he stated. "I'm trying to be civil here. As you are aware of, I could hack into your systems and discover it myself, but I prefer cooperation."

"Wouldn't that be breaking Code 134?" the seeker inquired smugly. "Information shall only be obtained via hacking if it is confirmed that the obtained enemy has information that could be used to stop an attack or be used to free autobot prisoners of war. Then, and only then, will the current leader of the autobots, his chosen advisors, and the Council of Ancients decide whether or not hacking will be an appropriate course of action. Any unauthorized hacking shall be perceived as an unnecessary act that can and will be tried appropriately." The medic stood in awe as the seeker recited the code perfectly word for word. His egotistical smirk grew at Ratchet's wordless comeback. "And you don't want to break the code do you?"

The mech looked back at his box. "You used to be such a good 'bot," Ratchet said solemnly. "Always there to help when called upon." He fiddled with a spare saw head, looking over it's edges. Starscream's optics were trained on the blade; he was not sure whether Ratchet was making a threat, or just conveniently inspecting one of his numerous tools. "I have to admit, I'm shocked that you won't help me now," the mech confessed. He placed the blade down. "Especially when we have something in common -- Annabelle."

Starscream chuckled. "She's just a pathetic squishy," he informed. "Nothing more than a poor excuse for entertainment."

"For being poor entertainment, you really seemed to enjoy her company," the medic argued. The seeker began to open his mouth, but the medic beat him. "We were keeping an eye on you two." The seeker's previous confident face melted to an emotion resembling pure humility. "And you're not the only one who thinks she's not bad for a human." Starscream's face, had he been human, would've been drained of any and all color.

He quickly regained pushed his humility aside. "What do you want?" he growled.

"Annabelle is not in a good mental condition," he explained. "And she refuses to speak to us about what is troubling her, but you - " He looked hopefully towards the seeker. "She's trust you for some unknown reason. I would like you to be a medium. Whatever she tells you, you can tell me; then I can begin to help Anna."

"So. . . " he said. "You want me to betray Anna, and sell her secret to you?"

"You sound surprised," Ratchet replied. "I would've thought this to be right up your alley." Starscream glowered at the medic, but held his tongue. The seeker wasn't sure whether he felt insulted or praised. He watched as the door suddenly opened, and to his dismay, walked in Jetfire with a red twin in his arms. "Jetfire!" he exclaimed. His blue optics scanned up and down the black mech's damaged plating as he set Sideswipe onto a berth.

"I'm okay, Ratchet. Just a few minor wounds," he assured. "It's Sideswipe I'm worried about." He moved back to give the medic room. "I found him unresponsive, and he has yet to come online." The medic nodded. Jetfire looked intently at Sideswipe's emotionless face. He took a hard swallow of guilt as he looked at Ratchet. "Will he be okay?"

Ratchet had begun to run a diagnosis over the external damage. "I won't be able to tell till I look at his internal damage. But if I can put Jazz back together, then I can put him back together." Jetfire nodded. "I should be asking if you'll be okay."

"It's just a few dents, and my systems have already begun to repair the minor internal damage," Jetfire explained. "I can buff whatever plating needs to be buffed out later."

"If it's that way," Ratchet spoke. "Will you be willing to look into Starscream's internal regenerative and defensive functions? I have a hunch that either he's suffering from a virus or possibly a core malfunction." The medic lifted up Sideswipe's left arm to examine the disconnected cables, wires, and hydraulics. "You wouldn't have to do it this instant, but after you get yourself fixed up."

"Of course, Ratchet," the mech answered.

"And when you do - " He placed the arm down, and began to peal away Sideswipe's chest armor. "Take him out of here. He'll be uncooperative." Starscream curled his hand into a tight fist. He loathed how they talked about him as if he weren't in the room. The seeker turned to glare his old brother, but Jetfire was already leaving the room.

The door closed behind the scientist, and without Starscream watching him, he sighed. His sensors picked up the unique radiation of spark, causing his optics to travel towards the source. A disheveled and depressive looking Sunstreaker stared at him with large, uncertain optics. Dried mud clung to his golden armor, and the leftover streaks of dry water coated his windows. "Is he back?" Sunstreaker asked. He spoke softly, trying to hide the weak and vulnerable tone of his voice.

Jetfire nodded. "Yes," he replied bluntly.

The yellow twin moved forward, and outstretched his hand. He looked to the ground as he tried to swallow his pride. "Thank you," he muttered; his words barely audible. The black mech pushed the hand aside, and brought the 'bot close to him. Sunstreaker wrapped his arms around the mech, as he used him for support. He buried his head into Jetfire's arms, too ashamed for acting weak, but not strong enough to regain his pride. The scientist glanced up to see the rest of the autobot team lined up at the end of the hallway. Their faces were stern, but weak smiles had begun to grow on each of them.

Jazz and Bumblebee broke away from the group, and both stood behind the yellow 'bot. Jazz placed a hand on Sunstreaker's back. "C'mon bro," he said. "Let's get you some energon."

Sunstreaker moved away from Jetfire, and shoved Jazz's hand away. "Don't touch my armor," he growled weakly. "You'll ruin my paint job." He pushed passed Jetfire, and began walking towards his quarters. The silver 'bot looked at Bumblebee, and his fellow lieutenant nodded. Jazz followed Sunstreaker's steps first, followed by Bumblebee.

Jetfire turned around to see Ironhide grabbing his forearm. "You did real good today," he spoke. "Real good, soldier." The general released the jet's forearm, and walked away, leaving only Jetfire and Optimus Prime.

Their leader walked proudly towards the 'bot. He stopped five away from him. Jetfire's face became morbidly grim as Optimus stared at him with proud eyes. "I know many have questioned your allegiance to the autobot cause and me," he stated. "But I always knew you were a good 'bot deep down; and this only confirms it, Jetfire."

"Please, Sir," he protested. "I - I do not deserve your praise."

"Nonsense," Optimus replied. "You risked your life to save Sideswipe. That takes a lot of courage and loyalty to do something like that. I'm grateful to have you for a soldier."

He looked down at the ground. He could feel a pit in his spark filled with guilt, and the pit was growing. A sick, heavy feeling filled his chest. "Sir, they won't stop," he informed. "They know were Annabelle and her family live, and they will soon know where we live too. I need you to rethink your decision to keep Annabelle away from the base."

"How do you know this?" Optimus asked, his tone serious.

"I picked up on Skywarp's warping signature," Jetfire explained. "I thought it might've been lightening, but as you know, we sent Ironhide to pick Annabelle and Sarah up. I did that because I did not know whether it was him or not. Upon retrieving Sideswipe, Skywarp threatened to make short work of our humans next time." He looked up at Prime. "I do not care whether we keep Annabelle and her family here, or relocate them somewhere else in the meantime, but we cannot let them leave unprotected."

He nodded. "Annabelle only has a few weeks left of school," he stated. "We can keep her here, and have Sunstreaker take her to and from school. I can have Ironhide transport Sarah to her day job. Once Annabelle is done with school, we'll discuss more permanent options."

"Thank you, Sir," the scientist thanked.

"You take it easy now," Optimus ordered. "You've done enough good today." Jetfire gave a weak nod, and watched as Optimus walked away to join Ratchet in the Medical Bay. He stared at his feet, wondering how everyone believe him. '_It's just not right_,' he thought to himself. He lifted up his head and said, "I know you're there Anna."

She emerged from around the corner. Her head was held low, and the color from her face drained. "I didn't mean for this to happen," she whispered. "If I'd known - "

"Anna," he interrupted. "This kind of events happen. The war was bound to come back to Earth. I'm actually surprised that one of the twins hadn't come across one of the seekers before hand." Jetfire lifted Anna onto his shoulder. "From what Ratchet had told me, Sideswipe disobeyed an order. Nothing you did put him in this situation." He began to walk towards his room. "How about I give you a crash course in buffing out armor?"

"Whatever," she replied back emotionlessly.


	15. Chapter 15

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** so i don't know when i'll be able to get out my next chapter. school started, along with varsity tennis, so my updates may be delayed more than usual. x.x on a happier note, we're done with part one! :D we're now officially 1/4 of the way down with the story.

**replies:**

autobot alythia,, be my guest. xD i get to slap the other side of his face tho! :3

dixiegurl13,, TC is screamer's right-handed minion. x3 he's perhaps the only sane and logical one among the trio. .

tlcoopi7,, -pats growling screamer- poor 'con doesn't even know it! -

starfire,, hence fourth why (or at least i assume why) autobot alythia shall slap him. :3 and why i shall laugh when she does. && ah yes, starscream has a long, complicated, and rather painful story behind his condition.

yuki hikari,, the fishies though! the poor fishies! -hugs fishies- D'8 he needlessly slays fish and for what?

robot521,, poor jetfire, he's full of it.

inspire165,, and you would be riiiiiiiiiiight. :D :D :D

ZTL,, Thank you very much for the compliments. ^^ And yeah, I was suppose to be at the gushy parts by now . . . . but - but my chapters keep getting off from my outline; and consequently keep adding more little twisties to the story. my original goal was to be somewhere around chapter 30 by now. -sighs- but then i took a physics class this summer and that took a lot of time.

ever free,, i love the ever growing smilies. xD 8D && if only i could update regularly.

autobotgirl6,, mucho, mucho thankies. ^^ tho i tend to fail on updating asap. x.x

pwnkage,, thank you very much for the encouragement. ^^ and those nasty typos bug me. T.T when i get time, i'll try to find a beta reader who can help eliminate them.

karokibathephangirl,, he is a stubborn fellow. e.e maybe i should have anna beat the stubbornness out of him.

**pairings:** starscreamxannabelle vs. ironhidexannabelle; what a twisted little triangle of love.

**disclaimer:** i do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

_"_this-is-cybertronian-and-it-s-a-pain-to-type"

_"this is com-link, or whatever the heck it is called these days."_

_centurion = 100 cybertronian years_

_cybertronian year = 932 earth days_

_orbital cycle = thirteen cybertronian hours_

_cybertronian hour = eight and a third earth hours_

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As he glanced up from his armor, Jetfire found it hard to believe that just a couple days ago, the sulky human on his side table was just another normal, paint-ball loving, homework procrastinating teenager. Watching her idly sway her feet over the gray table's edge seemed so much like the young, tree climbing girl; but watching her stare blankly at the floor below took away those happy memories. Taking his hands, he popped out the last dent in his armor. Anna sighed as she tore her eyes away from the floor. She pushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "You look good," she said approvingly. "Sorry that I didn't help, but you know . . . mechanics isn't really my thing."

He stifled a small, classic Jetfire smile. He held out his right hand, careful to avoid Annabelle's swaying legs. She eagerly jumped onto his hand, catching herself on his fingers. The human looked up to Jetfire, but she didn't need his permission -- she never did. Annabelle carefully latched her hands onto the exposed wires, as she expertly began to climb her way along the mech's arm. Too many years of being familiar with Jetfire's body structure had been engraved into her organic processor, and guided her along the complex, metal coated wires. It was through the trials of climbing that Anna had slowly come to know which wires did what. She knew to avoid energon lines for their sensitivity; and hydraulics had to be approached with caution for the risk of jamming or breaking fingers.

He absolutely loved how a creature so tiny, could make him feel so small; and as she perched herself on top his head, he couldn't hold back his grin. No matter how much Annabelle changed over the years, some habits would always remain strong. He let out a contented sigh, and leaned against the back of his chair, cherishing the moment. This was the Annabelle he had fallen in love with over ten years ago; and it was the same Annabelle he longed to keep safe and hidden from the world. But as she laid her head down onto his, he knew that the innocent child he loved was transforming into a young adult. The only thing that remained was her fragility, but even that had changed. No longer was she physically weak, but as he perceived, either emotionally, mentally, or a combination of internal weaknesses.

He brought a hand to his head, and Annabelle naturally latched onto his fingers. All the fears humans had about giant monsters had been overridden. And the human dangled in front of his eyes with a mischievous smile, he knew it stood for more than happiness -- it stood for trust. "I will never understand your love for heights," he stated. "Or for putting yourself in danger's path."

"How's this dangerous?" she inquired. "I have you to catch me if I were to fall." She swung herself onto his fingers.

"You know what I mean," he said more solemnly.

She sat on his palm with her legs dangling. "He's not _that_ dangerous," Anna explained. "All he needs is a firm hand - " She caught her fist with her other hand. "And a dose of his own medicine."

He stared at her, trying to understand the human's logical. "He's not something to be messing with, Annabelle," Jetfire preached. "He's dangerous . . . He kills people with no remorse for his actions."

"That's not what he said," she argued.

"He's a lair, Anna," Jetfire informed.

"And so are you," Anna accused. His systems froze. The mech swore his spark stopped radiating for several moments. "What were you thinking about keeping Sideswipe's disappearance away from me?! What if he died Jetfire? Then what would you have told me? That he went back to Cybertron?" She sounded hysterical, still trying to comprehend what had been going on behind her back. Her arms fell wearily to her side. Anna glanced unconfidently up at him. "Have you ever thought that I didn't want to be like Sam; that I wanted to be involved with you guys?" Jetfire was dumbfounded, and the only response he could muster was a blink of his optics. "Why else would I revive Starscream?"

"But I -- we thought - " he muttered incoherently.

"That I did it to hurt you guys?" she finished.

"More or less," Jetfire replied weakly. "We weren't sure what to think of it."

"It's not exactly rocket science, Jetfire," Anna retorted; her tone a little too harsh for her liking. "A threat such as a decepticon equals you guys staying here. No decepticon equals you guys leaving. It's that simple."

"Leave?" the mech inquired. "We weren't going to leave."

Anna sighed as she crossed her arms. "I know more than you think I do," she stated. "And I know that each and everyone of you has inquired about leaving earth _recently_. It's not like I could ask you guys to stay, because logically it would be safer for me to remain away from you guys. I know you would use that as a reason to leave. It doesn't leave me with very many options, Jetfire." She looked up to him with her eyes just as desperate as the tone of her voice. "And what am I suppose to do if you guys left? It's not like I have any other family."

Unlike the child who only needed a little bit of encouragement to fix her wounds, Annabelle needed much more than just a quick pick-me-up laugh. "You have a mother," he explained. "And you have a father. Those two, together, are your real family. The rest of us we're -- we're just close friends . . . _extremely_ close friends. What you are going through is just a phase, and in soon enough time you'll be running off to find your mate. You'll be the one to leave us behind first, Annabelle." His voice trailed painfully to a stop. His blue optics wandered over Annabelle. He didn't want her to grow up as Samuel had, or repeat what Bumblebee's charge had done.

"You guys have been saying that for over ten years now," Anna snapped. "And I haven't out grown it. Haven't you guys ever thought that maybe this isn't a phase? That I belong here with you guys? That right here, among you guys, and not with _them,_ is where I need to be?"

"Now you're being over-dramatic," Jetfire stated bluntly.

"Well maybe I am," she said, conceding. "But if you guys left, then all I have left is my lonely mom. And that's not fair to leave me with that." The human paused, trying to keep her composure together. "You guys are mine. M - i - n - e. Mine." Jetfire gently lifted her head up with the bare tip of his finger. "I mean it," she squeaked.

Jetfire took a deep breath to kill a few human seconds. Humans, as he had come to know them, were impulsive, greedy creatures who became upset when separated from what they valued most. What he didn't expect was for Anna to place her claim on them. The mech knew Bumblebee would have loved for Sam to be as dependent on them as Anna was, but as Jetfire looked at her, he knew it wouldn't last. "I know. . . I know," he spoke softly. The 'bot looked away from her. He tried to process his thoughts so that he could put them into a logical order, but there was no logical order. There was _her_, and there _them. 'Together they create us . . .' _he thought. There was no other logical way for him to explain the equation. No other way to justify what he was planning to do. "I just don't comprehend why you never told us in the first place," he said, changing subjects.

"It's easier to talk to a complete stranger than to someone that you look up too," Anna explained poorly. "It's like when a teen is pregnant. They don't want to tell their family because they would have to admit that it is true. And if they can fix it before hand, then it's like nothing bad ever happened." She pressed her head to his thumb. "He was my only chance to keep you guys here."

"But of all the 'cons," Jetfire muttered exhaustingly. Burn-out optics monitored Annabelle's bushed look. He could see past the thin layer of make-up, making him wonder why she would even try to hide the sleep deprived, black eye look. "Please," he added desperately. "Please, please, please, please, _please_ for Primus's sanity, don't go near him, Annabelle. Starscream is not like us. I know you think he's a twisted Autobot but -- "

"You were spying on us?!" she interrupted.

"You're are lucky he did not squish you," Jetfire scrutinized. "If Screamer weren't so concerned about his future propaganda, he would've taken your life."

"Then why didn't you rescue me from such a threat?" Anna sneered. She stood tall, glaring at him with her father's stern, '_take no bullshit_' face. She placed her hands on her hip, giving her an ever growing aggressive stance. "Or do you happen to know him so well that he poses no threat to me while he is under our control?" Jetfire avoided her critical gaze. There was nothing he could say to her without enraging her more. "He's not evil, Jetfire," Anna informed bitterly. "If he was as bad as you guys have made him out to be, then he would've killed me already. If he were like Megatron -- "

"He is like Megatron," Jetfire argued. The 'bot placed his hand on the table, and without order, Annabelle promptly stepped off. "He just doesn't want to acknowledge it, Annabelle. He doesn't care for anyone or anything except for himself and his goals." He paused, unsure of how to approach the division between them. "If it were before the war, I would side with you, Anna. I truly would, but Starscream is no longer the 'bot I remember. He has manifested into a subtle, deceitful Megatron with aspirations to become a murderous dictator."

"If he were anything like Megatron, then he would've slain me already," Anna protested plainly. "But he is not like Megatron because he is not focused on a single goal. He wants what's best for your race, Jetfire. . . He's just a hero who happens to be on the wrong side. If you give him time -- "

"I've given him time, Annabelle!" Jetfire snapped uncharacteristically. "I've given him enough time that I've seen friends die. I'm done waiting on him. He's not worth waiting on anymore."

"Why are you so opposed to him?" she retorted. "You and he are brothers! Are you not suppose to help your brother in his time of need?"

"Much like you Annabelle," Jetfire criticized angrily. "He brings his miseries upon himself, and I refuse to help anyone anymore who could prevent their own bad luck." He had to catch himself from continuing to ramble. The mech glanced down to see his hands curled into a fist. He was trying to catch his processor up to the current moment, when he saw Annabelle's astonished face. "Oh Primus," he muttered as he realized what he had said. She moved backwards. The edges of her eyes became redder, more glossy as liquid built up along the rims of her eyelids. "Anna I -- " She gave him the cold shoulder. "I -- I don't know what came over me."

"That's what they all say," she whispered unconvincingly.

The mech reached for the human, but she began to walk away. His shoulders sank as he watched her sit down on the table. She pulled out her phone, and seemingly began to play a game on it. Her facial expression was blank, with no visible signs of hurt showing. He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. He didn't want to end up injuring the human any more than what she had already been injured. The 'bot looked at his shadow. It felt as if yesterday his shadow fell onto the floor of the Nemesis. He had never more relieved than the day he had left the Nemesis, but now he found himself wondering if he did not belong there.

_'If I join Starscream, then I'll be marked for dead,' _he thought solemnly._ 'But if I betray him, he'll tell the autobots that I am a decepticon spy. Either way, I'll be left for dead_.' No longer able to stand his own shadow, Jetfire closed his optics. He loathed the position he chosen, and held a minute grudge against Starscream. If his brother hadn't revived him, then he'd be blissfully unaware of the war. He longed to return to his icy, peaceful tomb. The sound of Annabelle's sigh was enough to grab his attention. She closed her phone, and shoved it into the right pocket of her jeans. "Do you want to go flying?" he offered. Anna laid on her back as she stared blankly at the ceiling. "Anna . . . please say something to me . . . You know I would never mean something like that. You are family to me."

"Did you tell Starscream those lies too?" she replied cooly.

Now he wanted to adopt Starscream's habit of banging his head against a wall in frustration. Anna could be so think like Ironhide at times that it made his circuits burst with frustration. "I want to help you, Anna. I really do, but I can't if you are going to drag Screamer into this."

"Are you that spiteful towards him, that you'll abandon me to keep yourself safe?" Anna inquired.

"I can't help you when all you'll do is bring me down with you," he said remorsefully. "But when you come to terms with logic, I will be there, Anna. And I will help you to the best of my abilities." Anna rolled her head towards him with a displeased scowl. "I will always be there to help you Anna . . . so long as you are willing to help yourself as well." Jetfire sighed, and lifted himself out of the chair. He walked across the room, heading towards the door. He stopped at the door way. "I'm tired of drama," he said plainly. "Unfortunately, you love it. I don't know why you love it, but you do . . ." His voiced trailed off as he began to divulge into his own thoughts. "You didn't always love it," he recalled meekly. He glanced over her shoulder at him. "You used to despise it." The mech glanced to the floor.

Anna sat up immediately. "Jetfire," she spoke weakly. "Please don't do this to me."

"I'm not doing anything to you, Anna," he tried to justify. "Your doing this to yourself. This is our fault. You've never had to dealt with a problem, because we were there to help solve it for you, but you need to learn how to solve problems on your own. This is our fault. If we had let you grow up, then you'd be okay. But we didn't, and now we face those consequences." He raised his head, and opened his door. "It's time for you to grow up, Anna. That's all there is too it." The edge of his voice was filled with fear of the unknown, and he was positive Anna picked up on this fear.

He walked out of the room before Anna could reel him back into her clutches. As he strolled down the halls, he began to ponder over an thought that had begun to grow in his mind. Like any good scientist, he grabbed hold of the idea with both hands, and was well prepared to follow the idea through its entirety. '_We never pushed her,_' he thought. '_We spoiled her, and turned her into our new protoform. Since we didn't push her to be an adult, she will consequently search for a way to illogically solve her problems. But she has come to a stage in her life where she is learning to think ahead. . . So she should clearly know the consequences of her actions. This would mean she wanted this drama to keep us together, and to diminish her fear. Her fear would most likely have to come from an insecurity and dependency. At which point, we must've fed into that insecurity when she was young . . . Thus creating our current problem.' _

The doors to the medical bay opened as he walked into the room. Jetfire looked over to see Sideswipe rolling his blue optics. He looked displeased towards Jetfire. He flinched as Ratchet prodded his fuel line. "Will you leave me alone already?" he snapped. "I'm perfectly fine!" Ratchet's exhausted optics traveled to Jetfire. Sideswipe had obviously been an obnoxious patient -- not that that surprised Jetfire. The red twin was just as bad as Ironhide in his own, immature manner. "Hey, Screamer," he taunted. "You're li'l keeper is here."

Starscream opened his optics, and gave Sideswipe an ominous grimace. "I have no keeper," he corrected cynically. He shifted his position to get a better look at his brother. "I am the keeper of others." Jetfire stared submissively down at the floor. "Just asked my comrades."

"Oh yeah, like any sensible 'bot would go up and ask a slag like you a question," Swipe returned hatefully.

"Please take him out of here," Ratchet ordered.

"Yeah, take him otta - " Sideswipe's voice was cut short as Ratchet disconnected the electrical circuit that powered the vocal processor. The red 'bot protectively grabbed his neck with both hands. He looked astonished for a second. Then his stare turned to a glower. Ratchet ignored the twin, and peacefully hummed to himself. Starscream snickered at the autobot, only increasing Sideswipe's short temper.

Jetfire reached for Starscream, and grabbed the 'con from beneath the arms. Before Starscream could react, the mech had him lifted off the table. The seeker, out of fear, naturally clung to Jetfire. The 'con's legs dangled limply beneath him. Out of the corner of Jetfire's eye, he saw Sideswipe making kissing faces. He simply rolled his eyes, but Starscream would not let an insult go unanswered. The seeker flipped the autobot the middle finger. Sideswipe stood on end, and gripped the table unusually tight. "Oh Primus," Jetfire muttered. Ratchet eyed Jetfire, before letting his optics rest annoyingly on Sideswipe. With a swift movement of his fist, the medic lightly hit the crown of Sideswipe's head.

"You deserved that," Starscream commented smugly.

"One more word out of your mouth, and I'll disconnect your vocal processor too," Ratchet warned.

Jetfire peered past Starscream's head. "It wasn't her fault," he stated blankly. "It was ours." The medic immediately turned to Jetfire with a perplex expression. "I'll explain later." Starscream directed his glare to Jetfire, but the bigger mech ignore the seeker. The black 'bot walked out of the room. His steps were sluggish as he tried to navigate with limited vision. His brother remained silent, but underneath his "cool" exterior, Jetfire knew Starscream was boiling with pent-up anger. There was always a "calm" before the seeker unleashed his storm. "Watch your wing," he warned feebly. Jetfire carefully maneuvered their way through the door.

Starscream released his grip on Jetfire, and plopped himself onto the table. "Fucking piece of shit is more irritating than Megatron," the seeker huffed. "Doesn't fucking know when to shut the fuck up. No wonder your side is losing the war. If they didn't complain so fucking much, then maybe you'd be doing better."

"Watch your language," Jetfire criticized.

"Why the hell should I?" he retorted. "It's not like I can sink any lower."

"Actually you can," Anna remarked. The seeker whipped his head around to see the human lying on the table. She held her Hello Kitty pink communications device above her head. She viciously pressed the buttons on the pad. He couldn't see what was on her screen, but by her concentration, Starscream determined it to be of importance. "You can sink _a lot_ lower if you think about it."

"No one asked for your opinion," he retorted.

"Maybe not, but at least _I_ corrected _your_ incorrect statement," the human snapped.

The 'bot sat down in his creaky chair. His optics flashed towards Anna, before resting on his brother. Starscream looked at him, before reluctantly rolling his head back. He'd been through this drill enough times to know the procedure. Jetfire reached towards Starscream's neck, and carefully activated the smaller device. The circular object lit with an Arctic blue light. Jetfire activated his five by seven foot hologram data pad. "Don't probed too deeply," Starscream stated.

"I won't," Jetfire reassured. His data pad registered with new information concerning Starscream's internal defenses. They were offline. He glanced uncertainly at the seeker. Starscream gave him a scowl as an answer, and the 'bot accepted the answer. A small smile tugged the edges of his mouth. It was good to know, that despite their differences, Starscream still trusted him. Starscream closed his optics, and braced himself for a long and uneventful afternoon.

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

For two hours he sat on the table. No words were spoken among the trio. Only the clicking of Anna's phone filled the silence. The seeker let out a bored sigh. He couldn't believe he allowed Jetfire access to parts of his basic functions that he had never let Thundercracker inspect. Starscream wasn't entirely sure why he was granting Jetfire access so easily; especially when he considered the fact Jetfire claimed to be an autobot. _'But if anyone's going to do it_,' he thought. '_Might as well be the moral Skyfire_.' Starscream opened his optics. "Have you found anything yet?" he asked exhaustingly. "I'm getting tired of sitting here."

"Impatient much?" Anna criticized. Starscream restrained a growl.

"I might've found a virus," he responded quickly.

"Might've?" questioned the seeker. "It's either a yes or no answer."

Jetfire glanced up from his work. "It's a very subtle virus . . . if it is one," the scientist explained. "It's very well engraved into your central regenerative and communication coding. Had I not gone over it a second time, I would have missed it. I'm fairly certain it's invaded the core processors that code your energy supply. I believe it to be a timer of sorts."

"For what?" the seeker asked.

"I don't know," the mech answered. "Just a timer, but a faulty timer. It's going by imaginary negative numbers. It's moving away from zero, and if my calculations are right, then it's approaching infinite." Jetfire stared frustratingly down at his data pad. "I've never seen coding like it. Whoever infected you, wanted to time something." Starscream looked away. "I'll need to consult Ratchet. He'll be able to determine if this is a virus, or just coding." His data pad hologram disappeared, and Jetfire stood. "You wouldn't happen to know who might've infected you?"

He shook his head. The seeker stared into Jetfire's optics. "No idea," Starscream said blankly. Jetfire nodded before heading out of the room.

"Bullshit," Anna chimed. She set her phone beside herself. The human pushed herself into a comfortable sitting position.

"What?" Starscream asked.

"I said bullshit," she repeated. Anna crossed her arms. "Not that that surprises me . . . You do have a habit of being unreliable and dishonest. I personally wouldn't trust anything you say."

"I don't always lie," the seeker informed.

"Then tell me why you didn't go through with our truce?" Anna asked coldly. "I'm still waiting on my answer."

"I gave you your answer," Starscream corrected. He twisted his torso around to view her better. "You were just _too_ ignorant to listen, fleshy." He raised his head, giving off a snooty glare. "But since I am feeling generous, I'll remind you of what you refuse to acknowledge." He took a brief pause. "If you can recall, I said I hated you a little less than most sentient beings." Anna nodded as she followed along. "But I clearly stated that you were twice as naive for reviving a powerful 'con as me. How you believe I could solve your li'l family problems is highly illogical. You started to mumble incoherent words in response."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" she inquired.

"I swore on my spark, did I not?" he replied nonchalantly.

"That you did," Anna established.

"So you see I am telling the truth then," Starscream restated. "And it is in fact you who owe me your secret. As I recall, and I always recall perfectly, you were about to tell me what you thought of my sentient being." He bent down to give her a stern stare. "Will you honor your half?"

The human matched his cocky facial expression perfectly. "In that case," she spoke aloofly. "I don't hate you; though there are times I do deeply despite you, but never hate. You're too much of a fun puzzle to figure out to hate. I quite enjoy the challenge you present." The seeker smirked. "But -- " She stood up, and strolled casually towards him. "I think you are overly arrogant, extremely haughty, and nevertheless cowardly. You lie too much for your own good, and risk getting caught in your own traps. I absolutely, and patiently, await the day for you to say you were wrong," Anna explained cynically and frankly.

"Aren't you a little critic," the 'con sneered.

"Who else is going to keep you line while you're here?" Anna said _too _happily. "After all, you are on my turf, and at _my_ mercy, Twenty-two. If it weren't for me, you'd be offline for good." The human leaned against his thigh. "Consider yourself lucky that I'm not asking for a lifetime of servitude from you as payment." She placed her head on her folded arms. "All I'm asking for is to know the truth. . ." She eyed him suspiciously. "Now, what did you _really_ say last night?"

"If only you were a decepticon," he stated. "Then I might consider you less pathetic."

Anna raised her eye brows. "So . . . what exactly are you saying?" she inquired. "Because I -- I'm not quite following.

He abruptly scooped her into his hand. She laid back, supporting herself with her elbows. Anna had an uncertain, shocked face. The seeker brought her close to his face. "What I'm saying, is that you aren't half bad for being made out of flesh and water, _squishy_," Starscream admitted. "And if you got rid of that smart attitude, I might even go as far as to say you'd be a pleasant, but frail slave."

"You just hate someone, especially a human, being wittier than you," Anna boasted. "Just admit it. I'll try to not rub it into your face to hard if you do."

"In your dreams," he spat.

"It can happen," she suggested. The human rolled onto her stomach, and spread out across his palm. She wiggled her legs lazily in the air. "Just look at you. Bet you never thought you'd end up a prisoner to the autobots and their "pet" human." She smiled devilishly, making him roll his eyes. "After all, anything is possible. It's just how probable it is that determines whether or not you'll be affected." She propped her head onto her hands. "Take you for example. I'd expect you to hurt me, and I'm still expecting you too. I wouldn't expect Jetfire to hurt me, but shit just happens."

"No wonder you were so quiet," Starscream established. "I thought something seemed off about you. I would hypothesized then, that it had to do with you confessing to Jetfire." She nodded weakly, not really looking at him. "Doesn't surprise me. The autobots have never really liked thinking outside their own little bubble."

"I just couldn't stand being considered an enemy anymore," Anna explained. "His reaction was so much different than I thought it would be. I thought . . . I thought he'd help me, but instead he left me on my own. Jetfire says I bring this on myself, but I don't. I don't think I do anyway. But I know he's only concerned about himself. It's just seems so -- "

"Hypocritical?" the seeker finished. Anna looked at him with surprised eyes. "I know all about it, fleshy. I've dealt with their ignorance for enough years that I could write a detailed report regarding the affects it has had on many sentient beings." He took a deep breath of the cool air. "The autobots image of being good, saint-like figures is just a mask. They hate for their innocent, good-will to be tarnished. In order to protect their good-image, they must not make drastic mistakes. If caught in a mistake, they'll deny it. They'll virtually go to any length to object to a mistake. I've learned this personally. . ." In a very human fashion, he pushed aside her loose blonde strands. "Don't make the mistake I did. Don't trust people who will not understand."

"But they're my family," she protested weakly. "I love them."

"If you are bent on keeping your puny family, then do so," he scoffed. "But you should not disclose your secrets to them. I know for a fact, that they would use this to only diagnose you as mentally unhealthy." He watched her pupil's diameter increased. "Your own medic was trying to bribe me into helping him diagnose your "illness.""

"What?" she breathed.

He nodded solemnly. "They would turn on you to protect themselves. I know. I lived through it. And I understand what you are going through." The seeker lifted the human to his shoulder. Anna slid off his hand, and landed on his shoulder. She held onto a bundle of wires to help steadier her as she stood. "I really do. I know for a fact that Skyfire will leave you if you continue to appear radical. The reason Skyfire refuses to help you is because he's afraid you're changing into something bad." She was skeptical, and her faced showed it. The human bravely let go of her support systems so that she could cross her arms. "Skyfire is afraid of change. That's the reason he left for the autobots."

He closed optics, as he tried to grasp the memory more clearly. "I told him in detail about my plans to end the war, and the ideas I had for the future of Cybertron. When I was done, he accused me of changing. He said the Starscream he knew was gone, and that we were no longer brothers." His was voice was dry of any emotions. Starscream grimaced at the human. "When push comes to shove, he will _always_ leave you first."

She might not have bought his story had if it had not flowed with the others' stories about Jetfire's betrayal. "I don't trust one word you said," she spoke clearly. "You were too restrained to have told the story of your brother's betrayal so frankly."

"Maybe I've just accepted his betrayal, and no longer fight the truth," Starscream suggested.

"I'm more inclined to the first," she stated.

"Regardless of what you think, where will you be if he does leave you?" the seeker asked. "Do you think the others will understand any better? Keeping quiet to them is the best option you have if you plan on keeping them as your family." She regretfully nodded. Anna longingly stared towards the doorway. The human knew Starscream wasn't good, but she couldn't deny his logic. She'd already dug herself a hole, and figured the only way she would get out of it would be to act like a good little girl. "But I'll understand," Starscream added.

"Why would I tell you?" she retorted. "You are a traitorous, lying bastard who would rat me out."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," he informed matter-of-factly.

"They aren't my enemy," Anna corrected. "They're my family."

"But we're both prisoners to them," the 'con recalled. "We're both at _their_ mercy."

Anna sat down on his shoulder. She leaned against the smooth, aerodynamic exterior of his charred wing. "Maybe for _once_ you're right," she pondered. "But I'm not going to turn on them. I still love them."

"I never asked you to turn on them," Starscream corrected. "I just merely returned your invitation to this "club for two.""

"Surprised you would join," she commented in a monotone.

"I have my logical reasons," he assured. "We're both prisoners and misunderstood by the autobots. We also have other traits in common. Besides, you're the only intelligent stimulation this Pitt has to offer my dangerously bored processor." He could see her mischievously smile. "Like I said, fleshy, you aren't half bad. With a few tweaks and some obedience training, I might consider you to be a half-way decent pet."

"Oh, so now I'm a pet?" she scoffed sarcastically. "I'm really moving up on the totem poll now! Hey everyone! I've gone from slave to pet!" She clapped her hands together, and gave a happy smile to the 'con. "You're not very funny," she chided cooly. Anna placed her hands behind her head as she relaxed on his shoulder. "So will this be confidential, Twenty-two?"

"Anything good is always confidential, Annabelle," the seeker stated chivalrously.

"So it appears, Starscream," she replied.

"No more of this "Twenty-two" nickname?" he asked innocently.

"I thought you didn't like it," the human answered snootily.

"I never said I dislike it," Starscream informed. "I was just curious as to why you call me by "Twenty-two." Everyone else in this base either calls me by my formal name or by "Screamer.""

Anna rolled her eyes. "You always need things spelled out letter by letter," she complained. "First off, if I were to call you "Lord Starscream", you'd grow an even bigger head; and I cannot let that happen on my watch. Secondly, "Screamer" is a whore name. The only reason I would call you "Screamer" would be when I'm jokingly referring to you as Mikaela. Thirdly, "Twenty-two" is much more appropriate for a 'con disguised as an F-22. Plus, it just sounds cuter."

"Cute?" he sneered. "I am not cute."

"Heavens no," she stated. "You aren't cute." She looked up and down his body. "You're quite odd in your body structure -- very unorthodox. If you want cute, just look at Beeman's antennas. Those are cute. You though -- "

"I'm aerodynamic," he clarified callously. "I'm much swifter and agile than than any of these ground 'bots."

"Chill," Anna ordered. "I was just being frank."

"About what?" Jetfire asked grimly. He carried himself lethargically across the room.

Annabelle pointed to Starscream's face. "He has a face that only a mother could love." The seeker immediately glared at her, but her only answer was shrug of her shoulders. "It's true," she peeped. A small '_ding_' followed her words. Starscream looked around the room, trying to find the source of the sound. "That's my phone," she answered. Anna stood up, and leaned over as far as she could without falling off his shoulder.

"Oh," he muttered. The 'con brought his good hand to his shoulder. The human gladly took his offer, and hopped onto his hand. He brought her to the table, where she slid through his fingers. While she was scurrying to her phone, Starscream took his time to watch Jetfire approach.

"It is a virus," Jetfire confirmed. "You'll be glad to know that we will get rid of the virus since it poses a threat to all of us here. But -- "

"But what?" Starscream asked bitterly.

"It'll take some time to remove it from your systems," the scientist explained. "It's so perfectly engraved into your systems, that it'll take roughly three weeks to remove it completely. The seeker groaned, and beat the back of his head against the wall. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll be the one to remove it."

"Shit," Anna muttered.

Jetfire looked curiously towards the human. "What?"

"Fucking chem report," she complained. "It's due tomorrow." She snapped her phone closed, and sighed. "It's gonna take the rest of the afternoon to finish the effing thing."

"Well if you finish early, I'll take you out to fly," he encouraged. "If you go to work on it now, you'll probably finish in time.

Doubt that," she argued pessimistically.

Jetfire placed Annabelle on the floor, and gave her a small, friendly push to go finish the report. "After you finish your report, I'll proofread it for you."

"Okay," she conceded. "See ya later, Twenty-two." She waved to both of them before exiting the room.

The seeker huffed. "Finally," he breathed. "Pesky fleshies never leave."

"At least you're on her good side," Jetfire stated positively. He looked up at his brother. So much had changed between them, but he could still see, or hoped that's what he saw, remnants of Starscream's old personality. "I've got to leave, but will you be okay in here for tonight?"

"Just tell your 'bots to keep their distance," Starscream barked. The ebony mech nodded at his brother's answer. Jetfire began to head towards the doorway. "How is everyone?" he asked more gently.

"Good," he informed dryly. "It's as normal as normal can be."

"Tell them I'll waiting," the seeker added.

"Goodbye, Starscream," the 'bot said quickly. He didn't want to get involved in another decepticon-oritented conversation with his brother. Knowing his luck, Jetfire assumed someone would over hear them. He told himself he didn't need that. The 'bot picked up his pace, and set his goals on his new mission. The doors closed behind Jetfire, and the lights died. The red light form his optics weakly emitted light. He shifted to his radiational field of vision.

The seeker groaned. _'Great,_' he thought sarcastically. '_More time to recharge_.' The 'con didn't want to recharge, nor relive any of the memories that tended to pop up in his recharge. He pressed his head into his palm. He might not have minded the memories so much had there not been a gap between Cybertron and waking up on Earth. He carefully slid his hand down his chest, feeling the radiation his spark emitted. Starscream could still imagine the tightness on his spark chamber he had felt. "When I return to Cybertron," he muttered to himself. "You will be the first that I kill, Shockwave. Followed by Ramjet and his deceitful troop." He closed his optics. "But just how will I make your final moments the worst in your life?" he pondered. "I'll have to make it something special for you."

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He woke from his recharge cycle without any hitches. Basic functions read normal. His injuries were still the same, dysfunctional and irritating level. He peered around the room, noting how uncluttered, and empty Jetfire had left his room. He deemed it acceptable for his brother's standards. '_He never did like stuff_,' he thought. _'Always so sentimental._' His eyes focused on a dull shine. Starscream carefully picked up the small, metallic device. He recognized it as the human's communication device. He opened the phone. The screen lit, displaying the different operations the device could perform.

He carefully removed a minor electrical circuit from his wrist, and used it to hack into the phone. Starscream searched through the phone's applications, but found nothing exciting to exploit or use to eradicate his boredom. Starscream opened the last application. His interest peaked as he searched through the various texts. He had limited knowledge of the humans' texting communication; though, he assumed it was very much like crude instant messaging. The seeker pulled up the contact list, and scanned through the contacts. One particular contact caught his eye. Smirking, the seeker sent a basic text message, saying, "Wassup?".

He stared blankly at the screen, waiting for a message to appear. The phone made a '_ding_' as it received a text. He opened the text message and read:

_'Who is this? && how did u get my 2nd fone? -Anna'_

Starscream constructed a new message quickly. _'This is Twenty-two. You left your phone here, fleshy.'_ He quickly press sent. A few moments later, the phone made another '_ding_'.

'_B careful w/it! -Anna'_

He found himself amused with her abbreviated spellings. '_What are you doing?_'

'_Going 2 bed.U? -Anna.'_

_'Trying to find intelligent entertainment in this hellhole. Did you finish your report? -22'_

_'Yeah. Didn't get 2 fly though. ),: -Anna.'_

_'You'll survive. What was your report over? -22'_

_'Ur nosey! It was over chemical reactions. Simple stuffs. -Anna'_

_'Why do you have two phone? -22'_

_'B/c i have a habit of leaving my fone either at my house or here. so i got 2 fones to solve that problem. -Anna'_

_'Pathetic. -22'_

_'Yup. :) Gtg bed. ttyl! -Anna'_

_'Whatever. -22'_

The phone snapped shut, and 'con placed the delicate device in his cockpit. The seeker rolled his eyes. Humans required so much sleep when compared to his species. It was no wonder they were technologically behind. He had once heard that humans spent one third of their lives dormant. The 'con no longer doubted that statement. Between the past two days, she would've slept a total of sixteen hours. He pressed his head to the wall, and closed his optics. _'Poor humans,'_ he thought. '_They don't even know they're wasting their life_.' He sighed. '_At least it kills boredom_.'


	16. PART II: hereditary

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** Good news guys! I updated! Better news? I'll probably be able to update every week and a half to two weeks. :D && once again thanks for the support guys! I love hearing from you guys and enjoy reading your messages. Hopefully everyone (on fan-fiction) was able to receive their reply via the reply button. If you didn't, feel free to bop me on the head for accidentally overlooking you. This chapter is dedicated all the readers. ^^

**Replies: **

Ever Free,, it'll only get more amusing as the story progresses, lol.

**Pairings:** Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide

**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

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"She needs help," Ratchet stated firmly. His optics tiredly glowered at his old comrade. Frustration built in his system, and his memory bank threatened to identify Ironhide as a foe rather than ally. "_Professional_ help."

"Annabelle is okay," Ironhide huffed. "Her hormones are in their monthly out of order, and causing her logical processor to not function properly." He folded his arms as he leaned annoyingly against the door frame. He rolled his eyes away from the medic, and tiredly look at the glow-in-the-dark stickers on the ceiling. "I've known her long enough to know that she may be a little insecure and selfish, but not insane." Optimus looked over at the old soldier as he analyzed the two arguing sides – Ratchet and Jetfire versus Ironhide. "Knowing her the best, she probably has a whole scheme planned out for reviving the asshole. She's always got a plan for this whole temper tantrum that she's throwing."

"But doesn't it concern you that Annabelle has turned to a decepticon to solve her problems over us?" Ratchet asked bitterly. "I for one am hurt that she has gone to such extreme lengths, and that we have allowed for it to get this far."

"You're taking this too personally," Ironhide retorted.

"And you aren't taking this seriously enough!" Ratchet pounded his fist onto the table. Sideswipe looked wearily at the medic, as Ratchet leaned threateningly forward. "Perhaps you have not read of what mental illnesses can cause. If left untreated, Annabelle could cause great destruction to our established life. Even more disturbingly, she could cause harm to herself." He glared pleadingly for Optimus to side with his logic. "I want to help her. I want Annabelle to be happy again."

"You are analyzing this only from a medical perspective," the black mech criticized. "If you say it from a more social perspective, then you would logically realize that leaving her alone is the best course of action. We already know that she doesn't want to harm us, and that she doesn't like being against us. It seems that she may not have the capacity to fulfill her plan either."

"What are you proposing, Ironhide?" Optimus inquired.

"We let her sink or swim on her own. She needs to learn to stay afloat on her own," he clarified. "If she wants help, then let her receive it on her own accord. Otherwise, I think we should let her deal with this on her own." He took a deep breath to help calm his fuming anger. His canons hummed lightly as they began to charge. Ironhide stared his commander in the eye. "She already has an unstable home life. The last thing she needs is for us to be against her. She needs a stable family, and we are the only ones who can provide that for her. "

"You have overlooked the aspect of her spending too much time with us," Jetfire peeped. "She's become dependent on us."

"It's not too much, but too little," Ironhide retorted. "She's learned to manipulate situations into her favor because of her mother's influence. I have no doubt that if she had spent more time with us, that this whole situation would have been avoided, Jetfire."

"But she needs social time with humans," the scientist argued. "How else is she going to learn how to function in human society."

"She goes to all of the major human events," the soldier spat. "You just don't want to admit that Annabelle is part of this family, and is just as much of a sibling to any of us as Prime is our leader." Ratchet's jaw was tightly shut, and Jetfire looked shamefully away. "Unless any of you want to lose trust with Annabelle, I suggest you let her be."

"And you're positive this will work, Ironhide?" Optimus asked.

The soldier nodded. "I have been watching her since she was a tiny fleshy," he reminded. "I know how her mind works by now. She's bound to lose at her own game . . . sooner than later." Ironhide looked at Jetfire. "As for the asshole, he needs to be put in line. Just because he is Anna's new toy does not give him any special exceptions. He should get the same prisoner protocol that all the other prisoners get. He's still a dangerous 'con, and is a threat to Anna. But until she sees through her illogical actions, we need to make sure he doesn't come up with some scheme to turn Anna against us."

"So act civil?" Ratchet inquired.

The black mech nodded. "As much as I detest the asshole, we need to act civil."

"Can you do that?" Jetfire asked scientifically.

"Are you questioning my abilities?" Ironhide asked bitterly.

"Yes I am," the autobot replied weakly. "You're illogical need to seek revenge for Chromia has cost us before. Not only are you disillusioned by her vengeance, but you have recently inflicted damage on Starscream have you not?" Ironhide remained silent, and venomously glaring at the aerial 'bot. "I'm merely concerned that you may hinder your plan. I – I'm just worried you may end up letting your emotions and personal agenda get the better of your actions."

The autobot's hands folded into tightly held fists. "You traitorous bastard," Ironhide growled primitively. "I have full control over my impulses. At least I never sided with those fucking, murder loving decepticons, you test tube loving 'con."

"Easy Ironhide," Prime stated firmly. "Jetfire was under misconceptions about the war. And need I remind you he brought back Sideswipe without any reinforcements?" Ironhide let out a retaliating huff before hatefully glaring at the floor.. "He has a made a good point, Ironhide. You are a good soldier, and an excellent protective figure over Annabelle, but this time I believe it to be better if you could remove yourself from vengeful temptations."

"With all due respect, Sir," the general stated callously. "I can control myself. I want to be part of her healing process."

Optimus moved forward, watching his old comrade silently began to throw a temper tantrum. He placed a hand on Ironhide's shoulder. "You have been a good protector," he stated. "The best protector we could provide . . . but logically the percentages are against you. You have directly disobeyed orders on numerous occasions to engage Starscream on vengeful agenda. Some tines the best help we can provide is by standing on the sidelines."

"I refuse to stand on the sidelines," Ironhide objected. "I am not programmed to sit around and rust."

"You will not be sitting around," Optimus assured. "I want you to take your pick of the new recruits, Jetfire, and Sideswipe to the current location of the decepticons. From what Jetfire has told me, there are only four of them situated on Earth. If we can eliminate them, then it will help us gain access to their currents plans. It'll also help speed the process of completing the space bridge." He paused, waiting for Ironhide to revolt. "This is a priority, and a job that I trust you can complete without any complications."

He dully nodded. "When do the new recruits arrive?" the mech inquired.

"They'll be arriving seventeen hundred hours today," the leader informed. "Of course, they'll have to be cleared by NEST officials before they can come home. You'll be happy to know that several of your old students are among the new recruits." Ironhide looked up with a sudden improvement in his attitude. "You remember Arcee and Cliffjumper, don't you?" He nodded. "They'll also be bringing Mirage and the other twins with them."

"Those illiterate protoforms?!" Ratchet shrieked. "Why in the name of Primus are we bringing them to Earth? They are nothing but processor ruining glitches." Jetfire slowly nodded in agreement. Sideswipe's scowl became a harsh, unrelenting glare. The red mech folded his arms moodily across his chest. "All they have ever amounted to it increasing the amount of paper work that has had to filed."

Optimus stood shockingly still. It took his processor a few seconds to comprehend his medic's sudden outburst. "I realize they are less than efficient when it comes to literacy and following battlefield tactics, but they are willing to help; and we need their help." Sideswipe mouthed the word '_fuck me_' before jumping off the table. The twin held his limp arm with his other hand. He angrily limped out of the room, having had enough talk about the other recruits.

Ratchet rolled his eyes and said exhaustingly, "Protoforms these days are so moody."

"Is he okay to be moving around?" Optimus inquired.

"He shouldn't be moving much, but his functions are restored to stable levels," the medic informed. "Perhaps letting him get some fresh air will help relieve the tension he is feeling, and hopefully he will help Sunstreaker recover from his mental breakdown as well."

"It's hard to believe that sociopath could become so distraught over his twin being MIA for that short of a time span," Ironhide commented. "Never thought I'd see him actually caring for someone other than himself."

"You'd be surprised," Jetfire stated. "Some spark scientists suggest that a twin bond is the most powerful bond to exist."

Ironhide casted him a glare, indicating he had not wanted an answer to his question. "Yo dawg, he's right, 'Hide," Jazz intervened. "You were there to witness how fucked up Ultra was after Megatron go and drop the bomb on him about da war. I swore he was gonna somethin' freaky when Megs goes and disowns him for not choosin' a side . . . or his side."

"I saw," Ironhide huffed.

"We don't need internal disputes now, Ironhide," the azure and cherry red mech stated. "For both of Annabelle's and our sanity."

"Your siding with, 'Hide?" Ratchet asked, breathless.

The 'bot nodded. "Yes," he stated bluntly. "Because Ironhide is right. We have let her become too dependent on us. It's time for her "stretch her wings and fly" as the humans say." The medic looked away, silently brooding over his leader's decision." Optimus borrowed his stare into Ironhide, trying to convey the point of safety he was preaching. "But if she is not better by a month's time or does another radical action, then I will have no objection to letting a medical officer diagnose her." The weapon specialists nodded, not having much more to say.

"Ironhide?" came the familiar call from Sarah. The mech groaned, silently loathing his job as Sarah's new "taxi" for security purposes. Without so much as nod or goodbye, the mech turned out of the room and plotted the most efficient pathway to Sarah.

"I best go wake up, Anna-dawg," Jazz mentioned before walking coolly out of the room.

Jetfire feebly looked at the ground. Insecurity churned within his spark, making him feel "jumpy" and over stimulated by the soiled impulses. He submissively glanced towards Ratchet, but all the medic could provide was a doubtful gaze. He looked away to the ground as brooding feelings that the medic was hiding a statement built within his systems. More annoyingly, the alert of Thundercracker attempting to contact him flashed on his internal diagnostics screen. "If it's not too much to ask, I would like to recharge," Jetfire requested. "I have not had to the time to recharge, and my sensors are indicating that my functing abilities are beginning to decrease in their efficiency."

"Of course Jetfire," Optimus replied friendly. "It's understandable since all that you had to do yesterday."

"Thank you, Sir," he muttered as he walked passed their leader. His footsteps noisily filled the halls, but underneath the noise his audio sensors picked up on Ratchet's voice murmuring quietly to Optimus. He stopped, against his better judgement, and carefully listened as the medic spoke.

"There's something I haven't shown you that was on the video that concerns Jetfire," was his quiet voice. "I didn't want the others to jump to conclusions, but – " He turned off his audio sensor before he could hear Ratchet finish. He deactivated his communications system in the process. The scientist looked solemnly forward, trying not to dwell on what he had heard, but his sluggish footsteps delayed his travel.

He stumbled onto the berth, letting his legs hang precariously off the sides. The sound of the door closing eluded his audio sensors, but the lack of light was a bad comfort to his optics. He laid his face down into the berth, mimicking a tired Annabelle. "You promised me that I would be safer here, Screamer," he muttered into the white berth. "You promised," he added before his systems shut down.

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Even before she entered the room, Starscream could smell the faded stench of numerous humans lingering in the cool air. The most distinct smell was the scent of female hormones, and unique combination could only belong to one hominid – Annabelle Lennox. Soon the slapping of flip-flops diffracted off the walls and into his audio receptors. He found it safe to assume, by the clicking noise, that she was texting one of her homosapien counterparts. The seeker closed his optics, praying that the human was just passing by. He could not safely calculate how much longer his patience would last, but estimations told him that he was ready to tear the head off the first opposition that came his way. He pushed his good hand against his face as the flipping and clicking noise reached its peak. Starscream let a loud, irritable groan.

Anna slid her phone into her pocket. She dropped her backpack onto the floor. "Where the hell is Jetfire?" she asked tiredly. She grabbed the straps of her backpack and dragged it behind her as she walked. "I told him specifically that all hell could loose, but that it would not come between me and my effing homework." Anna looked up to the seeker with glazed eyes.

Starscream annoyingly toyed with the upper ridges of his right optic. "Am I suppose to be listening to your pathetic rant about how your life is so horrible?" he asked in a harsh and sarcastic voice.

"I'm not complaining about my life," she corrected sourly. "I'm complaining about how confusing math and science is." The human plopped herself onto the ground. She leaned against her backpack and sighed. "I mean how am I suppose to do the work when I don't even effing understand what a fucking hyperbola is." She pressed her head against the hard texture of her books. "When the hell am I going to need to use the formula for a hyperbola? It's not like my dad uses this in his line of work."

"Of course you wouldn't understand hyperbolas," Starscream scoffed. "You're just an unintelligent adolescent human."

"Exactly," Anna agreed. "They need to put it into unintelligent adolescent terms." She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of resting her eyes. The human wrapped her arms around her body to conserve body heat. The sound of her slow, deep breathing filled the room. The seeker peered over the table to see Annabelle "wiped out" on the floor. He was half tempted to open his mouth to figure out why she was so "wiped out", but a moment of silence (while in the presence of Annabelle) was too precious to shatter. He took a whiff of the air, before recoiling. The mixture of sweat, perfume, and other human bodies was more repulsive now since she was so close to him. "I probably should've taken a shower before I came in," Anna muttered. She opened her eyes, and looked up at Starscream. "Ratchet's always complaining how much humans stink."

"I support his claim that your race stinks," he stated. "Both intelligently and physically."

"At least I don't smell like energon," Anna retorted. She sat up, looking devilishly up at the seeker. "You're a smart cookie, Twenty-two." He stared perplexed at her, trying to make sense of how a food product could be intelligent, and why she would refer to him as a energy source. But by the mischievous smile, he could guess that she had a scheme ready to unfold. "Would Lord Starscream, with all his superior intelligence, be willing to help a pathetic excuse for a human as me with her homework?" She pulled her head slightly back and tilted it to the left. It was a vulnerable and sad look that he concluded was a "puppy" face. "Please?" she added on desperately.

Starscream knew she was being playful by trying to appeal to his egotistical side, and he enjoyed her attempt to stroke his ego. "I do not offer my services for free, fleshy," he reminded coolly.

"I know," she commented innocently. "That's why I'll give you protection from the others if you help me with my homework."

"I require more than just protection, human," he negotiated.

"What else do you require, milord?" Annabelle asked. "After all, I live to please you."

He could not resist laughing at her statement. She grinned at him with glimmering eyes. Starscream rested his head on his good palm. "You have a been a loyal servant, fleshy," he said, playing along. "Perhaps I should reward with by increasing your limited knowledge in the fields of math and science. But I want to know something."

"What?"

"Why did you ignore my text messages?" He leaned over the table and outstretched his hand. Annabelle loaded her ruby red back pack onto his hand before jumping onto his fingers. "I sent you twenty-two text messages asking what you were doing, but you failed to answer any of them. Are you that incompetent that you refuse to answer to your superior? Such disrespect should result in a punishment, fleshy."

She gracefully stepped off his hand and onto his shoulder and carried her backpack with her. "Firstly, I need to pay attention in my classes," Annabelle criticized. "Otherwise my short attention span gets the better of me, and I don't pay attention. Secondly, I found it creepy that you texted me so many times. Are you suffering from some sort of glitch, Twenty-two?" Annabelle leisurely plopped herself down onto his shoulder.

"My scans indicate that I am functioning at a normal percentage," Starscream barked.

"Then why the hell did you text me twenty-two times with the same message of "what's up, squishy?"" she inquired.

"You are my only source of slightly intelligent entertainment," the seeker informed. "And my high functioning processor gets easily agitated when I have nothing to keep me thinking or entertained. When I have nothing to process, I become even more agitated, fleshy."

"You could always twiddle your four thumbs," Anna suggested. She pulled out her Algebra Two book, a Hello Kitty notebook, and matching fuzzy pen. She flipped the notebook open to a sheet of paper with homework problems. Then the human flipped her book open to the current lesson. She pressed her left index finger to problem eighteen. "I don't get how to solve part C."

Starscream painfully craned his head to see the book. "This is an ellipse," the seeker established. "You have the first part of solving for the center correct, but what is this?" Using his hologram program, the mech created a virtual red arrow to point to the second part of the problem. "Are you trying to solve for the distance between the vertex and center?" Anna nodded. "Your problem is that you're using focus point instead of the vertex point. You need to use the vertex point (4,4). Your answer will come out to six then."

"Sweet," Anna replied as she scribbled the answer. "But why do you use the vertex point?"

"You're trying to find the number that corresponds to the "x" in the numerator," Starscream explained. "If you used the focus point, then you're trying to find the number that corresponds to "y" in the numerator." She made a small "oh" with her mouth. "By some miracle, you seem to have gotten the concept of substituting "a", "b", and "c" right. Though . . . "

"Thought what?" Annabelle asked.

"Why do you use such an inferior method to find "a" and "c"?" Starscream sneered.

She shrugged. "It's just how we're taught."

The seeker groaned. "You humans always have to make equations more difficult than they have to be." He changed his hologram to an interactive screen. "There's a more precise and quicker method that might be more suited for your intellectually challenged brain." Anna leaned forward, resting her head on her fists. "Just watch. Hopefully, and I do mean hopefully, your puny brain might be able to grasp the concept."

Anna gave him a dirty glare. "Just remember it's my puny brain that can decide whether or not you live," she reminded. "Don't bite the hand that feeds you, Twenty-two."

"Do you wish to learn an easier method or not, insect?" the 'con inquired, his voice dangerously impatient. Anna rolled her eyes, but closed her eyes. "Then, if you will pay attention, I'll try to explain it." Starscream sighed as she grabbed her notebook and pen to take notes. "Are you quite ready yet?" She nodded subordinately. "Now, watch as I use the method to solve this vertical major ellipse."

Time quickly and quietly slipped passed the human and seeker. Anna had remained quiet, trying to absorb and dissect the new and "better" techniques that Starscream had taught her. As she scribbled down the last answer to her chemistry equation, she let out a contented sigh. Starscream, as usual, stared critically over her. His optics eagerly for a mistake to correct and exploit, but despite his want to see her make another mistake, he couldn't hold back a small smirk. Too long had it been since he explained chemistry compounds and the complicated reactions and side effects they produced. A few fond memories of his "younger" years had slipped briefly into his mind. Those were the good ole days, he had told himself.

Anna slapped her pen down onto his shoulder. "Done," she breathed. Pressing her head against his wing, she closed her eyes. "I will never understand how someone can become so excited over chemistry." She tucked her notebook, book, and pen into her backpack.

He rolled his optics. "You, like the majority of both Cybertronians and humans, don't have enough gratitude to understand and love science," he accused. "You will be surprised how many fields require a basic understanding of chemistry."

"But you forget I'm a human," Anna commented.

"Precisely," the seeker replied.

Anna lazily stretched herself across his shoulder. "For coming from another planet, you're a pretty decent teacher."

"I am," he stated egotistically. "I used to give weekly lectures and oral reports to my superiors when I was a scientists. Of course, you had to dumb it down so that their retarded processing units could follow along."

"You can't use the word retarded, Twenty-two," Anna corrected. "It's offensive."

"I used it in its context, fleshy," the mech argued. "The word means limited intellectual development. As far as I see it, I used it properly."

"I'm just telling you it's an offensive word," she warned.

"Don't you have anything else to do?" he asked.

"I finished everything else," Annabelle said innocently. "Well, except one thing." He looked grumpily at her. "I've got to review for an advance biology test; which is outside your field of knowledge."

"I know the basics of human anatomy from the World Wide Web," the seeker enlightened callously. "I also spent over five years observing your deplorable excuse for a varmint at that Primus forsaking air base." Starscream removed her backpack from his shoulder, and casually dropped it onto the table. "Now pay attention, squishy." He projected a virtual life-sized human skeleton onto his shoulder. Anna curled her lips inward as she held back a snappy remark. She folded her arms as Starscream said, "This is your skeleton. It is comprised of bones. The bones are divided into two parts: the epiphysis and the diaphysis. Then the bones can then dissected into articular cartilage, epiphyseal line, spongy bone, medullary cavity, nutrient foramen, endosteum, and the periosteum." The seeker glanced at an amused Annabelle. "Do you have something to say?" he asked. She nodded. "Then what the hell is it?"

"I don't want to ruin your bubble, but . . . "

"But what?" he retorted angrily.

"This isn't advance biology, Twenty-two," Annabelle told cooly. "This is anatomy." His smug face melted into a sour scowl. She had indeed burst his bubble and his plans to display his vast knowledge about humans. "But we can still keep the human hologram out." She stood up carefully, grasping wires to help steady herself. "We can use it to build you a human hologram."

"I have a human hologram," Starscream clarified. He quickly shifted his human skeleton to a middle-aged Air force dressed male. Anna gawked at the human. Her obvious disapproval of the human was "written" (a term he had heard humans used) all over her face. "He's been designed specifically to fit any military branch without being detected."

"But what's with the helmet and mustache?" she criticized. "Does he come from the Pink Panther era or something?"

"Pink panther?" the seeker inquired.

"Never mind," Anna dismissed. "We have to fix him, though."

"Hypothetically speaking, if my hologram was somehow inferior," the mech said. "Why, would I let a rueful human female correct my human hologram?"

"Because that rueful human female has designed all but two of the autobots' holograms," she snapped. "And this is also the same human who could turn Twenty-two's life into a living hell if she pleased." Like a big wig of a company, she narrowed her predatory gaze on him. "So negotiating time, Twenty-two."

"I never negotiate," Starscream spat. "Negotiating is for the submissive inferior."

"Is that so, Twenty-two?" she inquired. Anna slowly pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. "There's a speed dial on here set to Ironhide's frequency." She carefully scrolled down the list of contact, making sure that Starscream could see Ironhide's name clearly printed on the screen. "Would you like to reconsider negotiations?"

"You love seeing me in such a vulnerable state," the seeker retorted.

She nodded. "I do enjoy seeing you squirm underneath my superiority," Anna confessed. "But not as much as I enjoy arguing with you." She leaned against his facial side panel. She could feel his glare on her, but his death look only encourage the young woman to smile. "Back to our subject. . . . will you reconsider my terms, Starscream?"

He grabbed her abruptly by her back, and pulled her away from his face. "I'm in no mood to play games, fleshy," he stated gruffly. "Now why don't you go skip happily merrily to your guardian or someone." He placed the human onto the table. Unsurprisingly, she stood aggressively.

"As if," she sneered. "I'm not going to be bossed around by some assembly line rejection." She placed her hands on her hips. "Besides, I'm just going to tweak him a little bit. And it's only six o' clock. I've still got time to chill before I eat dinner and what not . . . and you, as usual, have nothing to do. So you should feel grateful that you are blessed with my entertaining intelligence."

He tried not to choke on her words, but his attempt was met with failure. "Blessed?" he coughed. "You are going to far now, Annabelle."

She shook her head. "I've still got a long ways to go," the human replied. Anna grabbed hold of the wires and circuits as she climbed her onto the seeker's thigh.

"What's that suppose to mean?" he asked, slightly afraid and curious.

"You'll see," she chimed virtuously. Starscream stared at Annabelle, hoping that she would divulge the contents of her plan, but her mouth closed to the subject. The human reclined against his chest, and stretched her legs lazily across his large thigh. She snapped her fingers repeatedly. "C'mon, let's edit your hologram already."

"Do you have any friends?" he inquired.

"That's off subject, Starscream," Anna retorted. "But yes. I have quite a few friends."

"That's amazing," the mech stated.

"Why?" she asked, taking offense to his statement.

"Because you are one of the bossiest creatures I've ever had the displeasure to meet," Starscream answered.

"I see what you are trying to do," Annabelle informed. "And it's not going to work." She let out a hot breath of carbon dioxide and water as she folded her arms across her chest impatiently. "Now give me your hologram and I'll make this as quick as possible. I promise."

He projected his hologram to stand directly in front of the human. "I don't trust one word you say, Annabelle," the seeker reminded.

"That makes two of us if that makes you feel better," the human replied. "The helmet and mustache have to go first. No ands ifs or buts about it."

The seeker removed the designated items, revealing a middle-aged forty-some year-old man. "Why does that make two of us, Annabelle?" he inquired curiously. Anna stood up, careful not to disrupt the virtual image. She tapped her fingers against her lips in thought.

"Because I have an impulsive habit of putting myself in danger before thinking about the consequences," Annabelle answered. "So by the time I realize it was a bad idea, it's too late." She reached out to touch the human's nose, disrupting the hologram. "The face is all wrong; especially the nose and eyes. And what's going on with the faded hair? Are you trying to look ugly on purpose? You'd be doing a good job if you are."

"And do you go out of your way to be annoying?" the seeker retorted,

"For you, yes," Annabelle countered coolly. "You need to angle his jaw a little more so that he doesn't look so flabby. Think young like twenty-five or twenty-six. That's a good age for a pilot." The hologram face shifted immediately on her command. "Much, much better, Starscream." Anna looked over her shoulder, examining the 'con's color scheme. "Your eyes should definitely be the amber color of the cockpit."

"But that's an unusual human eye color," he objected. "It'll draw attention to my hologram, Annabelle."

"But it adds a personal touch," she argued. "So will you just change the damn eyes now?"

"That's not a good argument," Starscream criticized.

"Do you want me to call Ironhide in here to kick your ass again?" she inquired.

"You're just bluffing," he accused.

Anna stared back him with a hungry wolf's gaze. "Do you want to test that hypothesis?" she asked wearily. "I'll be more than happy to help prove you wrong, Starscream."

He instantly changed the hologram's eye color and said, "I bet you would, Annabelle. You're the kind of pathetic human that would rely on someone bigger than you to fulfill your bidding. I will praise you on one accomplishment: you have a done a marvelous job of manipulating the autobots."

"Thank you for the compliment, Starscream," she responded friendly. "It's took me a while to get them to warm up to me; especially Optimus. He's more inclined to letting the humans stay in the dark about your race. He, like my mother, wanted me to be left out of your world. It's really ignorant of them to want to do that. It should be my right to decided who I want to spend my time with. Taking that right away is like invoking – "

"Tyranny?" Starscream finished. Anna nodded. "That's what the autobots do. They are very intolerant of some simple rights." He looked passed Annabelle, analyzing the hologram. "I think the sandy brown hair matches my color scheme," he commented as he changed the hologram's hair color.

Anna nodded in agreement. "Excellent improvement, Starscream," she noted. "He needs the chin to be a little more square though. You know, so that it gives him a more powerful presence in the room." She folded her arms, trying to decide what to modify next. "Definitely needs to be a little more muscular, and a little bit taller too. Maybe like six foot two or three."

"Anything else, Annabelle?" he asked venomously as he edited the hologram further. "Or has it reached your level of satisfaction?"

"I have one last little tweak," she confessed.

"This is no longer a tweak, Annabelle," Starscream corrected sourly. "This is an overhaul of my hologram."

"But I'm making him look good!" she retorted. The human posed next to the hologram, and grinned. "You have to admit he looks a lot better."

"All you fleshies look the same to me," the seeker answered bluntly.

She shrugged. "What can I say, we humans do share ninety-nine percent of the same DNA."

"Inbreeds," he sneered.

"Yup," Anna stated proudly. "And we're six billion strong and growing! What was your race's decreasing population again, Starscream?" The seeker grinned his dental plates together, and blew a hot breath of exhaust at the human. She smirked, before pulling her phone out of her pocket. The human quickly scanned over the message, and typed a reply.

"Which infidel are you communicating with?" he asked curiously.

"Mummy dearest," the human responded in a less-than-pleasant tone. "She's wanting to know if I want Subway for dinner." She stuck out her tongue and pointed with her finger to her throat "Sounds disgusting right now, but at least it'll keep Ratchet at bay."

"I never quite understood why you humans are so picky about your energy sources," the seeker said plainly. "It's just energy. Why do you care so much about the taste?"

"Because we humans have taste buds instead of analyzing on our tongues," she informed. "And unlike your race, we cannot turn off our senses." She carefully jumped off from his thigh and onto the table. She glanced over her should and said smugly, "Thought you would've known that, Starscream."

She began to walk away, and he snorted. "No one turns their back to me," he stated furiously. He leaned forward, letting his shadow envelope her body. Anna twisted her head around, and saw his hologram breathing over her. She turned around, looking up at his hologram. "Much better," he spoke appraisingly. He placed his fingers delicately around her lower jaw. He motioned to raise her jaw, and surprisingly she played along. Annabelle raised her head, careful not to disrupt the hologram, His amber eyes scrutinized her facial structure. "You're lucky your race does not have good vision," he stated coldly. "For they would not be able to stand looking at the facial imperfections for long."

"My face is symmetrical," she spat.

"Not to my scans," Starscream informed. "I see every little imperfection, down to the last cell."

She stuck his tongue. He smirked in response. "Sad really. If you saw what I did, then you might be a little less incline to be so cocky, Annabelle."

The human took a step away. "Wow," she said sarcastically. "The pot's calling the kettle black again."

"You never let me get the last word in, will you, Annabelle?" he asked.

"You're going to have to earn it, Starscream," she informed. His hologram broke away from looking at the human. Annabelle followed his gaze to see Ironhide standing in the doorway. Ironhide stood with absolute stillness, trying to override the alert systems' warnings. Ironhide's cold stare briefly looked over Starscream, before softening to watch Annabelle.

"Jetfire says he will help you with your homework once he's done with his meeting," Ironhide delivered.

"No need," Annabelle replied. "Twenty-two – " she pointed her thumb to the hologram looming over her. "Has done that already. He actually was able to help me understand my math." The seeker's hologram moved forward, placing a protective hand on her left shoulder. She looked annoyingly up at the smug hologram, but said nothing. The 'bot clenched his fists tightly. Every ounce of his mass yearned to rip the hologram projector out of the decepticon's optics.

"So why don't you run off now, auto-scum," Starscream added on unsparingly. Anna jabbed the hologram in the abdomen, briefly disrupting the image. He rolled his eyes with a disgusted snort. "Pathetic fleshy. Jabbing me will do me no harm."

"I know that!" retorted barbarically. "I've been around holograms long enough to know you can only disrupt their images."

"I was just checking your knowledge," he added smoothly. Anna took a step back, completely disrupting the hologram's image. The seeker growled as he let his hologram fade. "You arrogant little insect," he breathed. Ironhide stepped protectively forward. Both his canons uncontrollably slid down to his forearms. The 'con glared at the autobot. Starscream's body tensed as his systems prepared to defend himself. "I'm not going to harm her," he reassured. "I'm not that dumb."

"Correction: you don't wanna die tonight," he informed through gritted dental plates.

"Don't you have to be somewhere, 'Hide?" Anna asked annoyingly. She folded her arms. "Sunny mentioned something about new recruits, and you fetching them."

"That twin can't keep his mouth shut," mumbled Ironhide.

"Good thing too," Anna commented happily. "Cause he's about the only one who keeps me informed about such things." She stared sternly at Ironhide, who's only answer was staring back at her. She flipped her phone out, looking at the time. "You better leave soon. It's a good six hour drive if you don't go too fast or get caught by any cops."

"I know how long it takes me to get there, Annabelle," the mech stated bluntly. "It'll take them a good few hours to become confirmed by the liaison and other NEST officials. Besides, I still have to pick your mother up from work."

"Well I thought you'd be leaving early to catch up with my dad," she replied plainly.

"Your father is off duty for the night," he informed. "He mentioned something about visiting Fig's family before heading to the bar to get a couple of drinks."

"That sounds about right for my dad," she commented softly. Starscream sat upwards with a bored expression beginning to show on his facial plates.

"Do you need anything, Anna?" he asked in a calmer voice; his optics glanced wearily at the seeker.

"Yeah," the human replied. "Tell the new recruits their introduction into hell begins Friday night at six o' clock sharp."

He rolled his optics. "I don't even want to know what you are going to do to them," he said tiredly. Ironhide sighed. "If you need anything Annabelle, I'll just be a call away."

"I know, but I've got everything I need already here." She pointed to her backpack. Ironhide began to turn around when Anna said, "Oh! And if there's anyway you can convince my mom to pick up Mcdees instead of Subway, you will be my hero for tonight. And if you get it passed Ratchet, I will love you even more." She smiled at him, and the mech nodded. "Thank you, 'Hide!"

"Mhhm," the general replied as he left.

Anna spun around and nearly fell over in surprise when Starscream's hologram appeared suddenly. "He's up to something," Starscream said. "That slag was too restrained." Anna moved through the hologram, and picked up her backpack. "And I'll bet my spark that he's not the only one either." The human shrugged as she lifted her backpack onto her shoulders. His hologram stared annoyingly at the human. "Aren't you worried about what they are planning to do, Annabelle?"

"I figure between you and I, they won't get far in their plan," Anna answered.

"Since when are we a team?" he inquired callously.

"We aren't," the human reassured. "They look bad for me to be on the same team as a decepticon. But you and I are both prisoners, and whatever happens to one of us, will affect both of us at this point. So logically, if you want to stay alive and I want to keep my freedom, we'll have to have some sort of mutual relationship." The air force hologram followed her as she neared the side of the table. Anna dropped her books onto the ground. She lowered herself onto the table. "Just think of it as the evil necessities of survival, Starscream." She slid down the table's leg, landing softly.

The human stared disapprovingly down at her. "Where are you going?" he inquired.

"To gather valuable information via Guitar Hero," she chimed. She grabbed her backpack as she headed towards the doorway.

"So you're just going to leave like that?" he inquired.

"I'm not your baby-sitter," she retorted. She heaved the backpack higher onto her shoulder. "Besides, you know how to get a hold of me if you need me."

"Want," he corrected. "I don't need you. You are only a temporary pest that I have to put up with. Once I'm free, I will never need your pathetic entertainment again."

"Whatever you say, Twenty-two," Anna replied as she left the room. "Just don't make promises you can't keep."

He stared where she had stood, half wanting her to come back so that she could fill the silence in the room. The seeker sighed, and pressed his head against the wall. Starscream opened his cockpit, and let the cellphone fall out onto his hand. '_Surely they don't keep track of who she calls,_' he thought. The mech pulled a loose circuit out, and hacked into the phone's mainframe. His optics cautiously flickered to the door, before focused on the phone again. A small smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth when a communitive connection was established. 'Thundercracker, come in. This is your Lord, Starscream.'

Not even five human seconds passed before he got his answer. 'Lord Starscream! It is wonderful to hear from you! Even by the impersonal and primitive means of this communications.'

'I realize that, Thundercracker, but I have no other means of communication other than hacking into this human's faulty phone . . . Their medic has disabled many of systems to make me "safer."'

'I laugh at their attempts to confine you, milord.'

'As do I. What has been occurring in my absence, commander?'

'Much, Lord Starscream. Scorponok was able to recover your Allspark fragments.' Starscream smiled, happy that his hard work had not been lost. He breathed a sigh of relief as the urge to carry on with his mission filled his processors. 'Barricade has also located Megatron's resting place. The humans have patrol officers watching over the fallen decepticons, but I believe it is too dangerous for us to embark on a journey to revive them just yet.'

'Wonderful, Thundercracker. You have proved to be an excellent and loyal second-in-commander.'

'I do have bad news, milord . . . Shockwave has taken Cybertron from my grasps. He now dictates the armies located there.'

'How dare he betray his leader! On what logic does he justify this treachery?'

'He proclaims that you helped to take Megatron's life at Mission City. He also says Cybertron can only be ruled by those truly loyal to Megatron. He states that no seeker can command a planet because they lack the loyalty to any real leader. He has turned the tides on us, Lord Starscream. It is only a matter of time before he brings his armies here to revive Megatron. Ramjet — '

'How could you let this happen, Thundercracker?!'

'I did not know where you were located milord; so when Shockwave threatened to offline you, I assumed he you in his clutches; even though I know it is illogical for you to lose to him . . . I always think of your safety first, brother.'

'No matter, I will clean up this mess you have created, Thundercracker; for I may have stumbled upon one of our greatest tools against the autobots.'

'I look forward to seeing this tool in person when you return. How long till you will return with this new object?'

'Soon, Thundercracker. I will be commanding the decepticon army within a month's time.'

'Should I assemble your forces, Lord Starscream?'

'No, we will have the upper hand by letting me remain 'dead' to Shockwave. I want him to wallow in his own downfall as he dies; experience the same shame he had to put me through. I want you to return to Iapetus before Shockwave gets the bright idea to check for Frenzy's head there. Take Barricade with you. He is to assume the role of guard over the protoforms until I return.'

'And what of Jetfire, sir? He is not loyal to our cause, and I fear he will soon defect to the autobots. His scientific nature is beginning to get the best of him.'

'He will be dealt with in due time. For now, keep out of sight of any decepticons. If they should inquire your actions . . . tell them that you have orders from Megatron to preserve the protoforms until they can safely be returned to Cybertron for development.'

'As you command, Lord Starscream.'

The line died, leaving Starscream a moment to cherish the knowledge that at least one of his brothers would always be loyal to him. He placed the phone within his cockpit, and tightly sealed the chamber. The seeker looked to the ceiling, imagining that the Cybertron sky loomed overhead instead of a dismal concrete roofing. 'I've come too far to lose it now, Primus,' he thought. Starscream could hear the sound of JEtfire's voice echoing off the walls as he spoke to Prime. He closed his optics as weary feelings settled on his spark. The mech's head fell low and placed a hand over his head. 'If I die, then do all my bonds die with me?' he contemplated. 'After all, I was dead. I shouldn't have to keep those vows.' It was a poor attempt at lying to himself, and the pit hidden deep within the confines of his spark radiated with a sour and guilty feeling.

"Let me speak to him." Prime's words reached his audio sensors, but the 'con didn't stir. He was vaguely aware of the autobot's presence as he approached him. "Can I have some privacy, Jetfire?" The scientists agreed, and he was heard walking away without any lashes or retorts. Optimus stared at the seeker with dull eyes. "I've seen that face before," he stated bluntly. Starscream glanced his direction, but made no effort to respond. "You're going to do something bad."

"Am I truly that easy to read?" the 'con inquired bitterly.

"No," the 'bot replied. "But I try to learn from my mistakes."

"Is that all I am to you?" Starscream retorted. "A mistake?" Optimus was solemn as he held his jaw tightly together. He straightened himself out as his systems warmed with agitation. "I'm not the mistake here. That title belongs to you."

"That is a title that only history can bestow, Starscream," the mech answered coolly. There was pause in his speech; a clear sign that Optimus was sorting through his thoughts and emotions. "We have our differences, Starscream but – " The seeker sneered, finding his statement redundant. "But we also have our similarities." The 'con stared intently at him, curious as to what the autobot leader was contemplating. "I need not state what we share in common, but I am hopeful that you may listen to what I have to say."

"I may be your prisoner, but I am not about to give up my beliefs and promises," he stated coldly. "I'm not that hallow, Optimus."

"I know, Starscream . . . " He looked to the doorway. "I know . . ." The 'bot turned back to the seeker. "You have noble intentions, but you have betrayed your oath to protect Cybertron. I wa – "

"I have betrayed no oath!" Starscream barked angrily. His optics gleamed brighter with wrath. "I have protected our home since before this catastrophe! It is you who would prefer us to have perished at the hands of the Unknown." He leaned dangerously forward, and gravity threatened to pull him down if he moved another decimeter. "These are the exact words that cause you to be seen as such an ignorant sentient, Optimus."

"I'm not here to make war," the autobot reassured sternly. He took a deep breath, trying to gather his composure. He would not admit aloud to the others that he shared the same sinful feelings towards the seeker. Optimus even contemplated that he harbored more than his comrades because (from his analysis) he was the one responsible for the incident in the beginning. Unlike Megatron who declared war with the autobots because they were a nuisance, Starscream had made his war with the autobots a personal agenda. "I want you to consider the options I am going to give you, Starscream."

The seeker raised his head civilly. A more political aspect grasped the edges of his optics, but a calculating smirk pulled at his lips. This was the situation that he both despised and loved. "You aren't an innocent 'bot, Optimus. You must surely know this."

He nodded subtly, not about to say it aloud. "I want you to let Jetfire analyze your memory processor and made a copy of the information; in exchange, I will have my medical officer restore basic functions to your legs and arm. Or you may hand over the protoforms and Frenzy's head on the Nemesis in exchange for your freedom. You also have the option to deny the opportunities I have given you if you wish to remain a prisoner of war to us."

"I will never hand over the protoforms," he established firmly. "That was an illogical trade to propose."

"It was worth proposing at the very least," Optimus countered. He stood more upright as he looked at the seeker as if he were but a child. "Take as much time as you need to decide, Starscream. I don't want you to end up regretting whatever option you chose to take."

"I do not regret anything I do," he corrected promptly. An insulted tone clung to his voice as it eerily vibrated off the walls. "Because unlike you, everything I do will get me one step closer to my goal. All those "mistakes" were simply the universe's ways of pointing me towards my goal. And I know in the end I will be victorious. And as long as I am victorious, then I have nothing to regret."

Optimus placed his hands behind his back. "Such confidence is deadly, Starscream," the 'bot informed. "The fallen had the same state of mind. Will you follow his path to death?"

Starscream gave a peculiar, alien mien to Optimus. "You don't understand," he stated simply. "I will never die. I will live on forever as the greatest Cybertronian to exist. Your faction will come to love me before you are even dead. Once you see what I have plan, then you will understand why I do the things I do."

"You cannot justify the countless murders you have committed by this plan," Optimus retorted. Anger flushed his voice, and for the first time in a millennia his blue optics shimmered with deep, stomach churning loathing. "And you know in your spark it cannot be justified."

"When I'm done, I will not be a murderer," Starscream spat. "I will the savior Cybertron has desperately needed. All those lives that have been lost will be saved."

The autobot leader turned away, knowing the seeker would never submit in verbal combat. He footsteps slowed as he crossed the boundary between the room and the hallway. Optimus raised his head, looking to the ceiling as if he had plucked the answer out of thin air. "You are the reason why hell is paved in good intentions," he stated fluently, and without any hesitation. The seeker's eyes critically glared at the fleeting figure of Optimus as he left.

Starscream brought his hand to his chest, blandly tapping his three middle fingers to the microscopic rhythm of his spark. The mech deactivated his optics and audio sensors, leaving him with a vague sense of peacefulness within his processors. He could detect the minute pulses dispersing through his core circuits. It was hard for the seeker to believe that only a couple human days ago he had been officially declared dead. He let out insecure breath of air. "I, Starscream, Lord of Cybertron, High Aerial Decepticon Commander, and defender of Cybertron," the seeker muttered too softly for eavesdropping audio sensors. "Hereby pledge my new found life to the honor of bravely guarding Cybertron against her foreign and domestic enemies. I will serve for the good of the people until I am no longer able to fulfill my duty to the fullest efficiency possible or am no longer needed to guard Cybertron and her offspring. To this I pledge my spark to, now and forever." His head drooped to his chest as he gripped his cockpit with his hand. "May Primus forgive me for what I must do."


	17. Chapter 17

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** I won't lie. This chapter was hard. to write because I had to finally choose which way the story will go. :x it's sad since I liked both directions. Oh well, maybe I'll use the other direction later on or for another story.

**Replies:**

**Pairings:** Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide

**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

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**Brother/Sister**: A term used to describe a close bond to another mech or femme that is only a step below bond-mate. It is a signifigant term that has the human equivalence (importance wise) as being engaged.

**Bond-mate**: The strongest bond among any transformer. Though often associated with love, a bond-mate is generally not a lover. In most cases, a bond-mate is actually a verbal (in some cases written) vow to accompany and protect another being until one is not able to fulfill their vows due to death. It is often a life bond, but it is not uncommon for a Cybertronian to take another bond-mate should their previous bond-mate die. It has the same human importance as being "soul-mates."

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The seeker rolled his head around, before resting it against the wall. Stress pumped through his circuits at the limited time he had given himself to return to his post as leader. Such a time span was illogical, but his need to return to power overwhelmed his logic chip. His dim optics looked painfully upwards as they tried to search desperately for an object not there. He lifted up his hand, and began to scribble invisible symbols in the air. Though they weren't there for anyone to see, the seeker could make out the perfect motion of his hands as he imagined what it read. His internal diagnostic processor began to run the calculations as he furiously began to scribble faster. The seeker pressed his hand to his mouth after finishing marking the symbols. His maroon optics glimmered angrily into the air.

'_It's all there_,' he told himself. '_Every bit of information that I need_.' Hot air was expelled through the vents circling his head. He hesitantly reached out to touch one of the symbols, but brought his hand back to his mouth. Starscream moved his head side-to-side, trying to argue with himself that he was not missing a piece of information, but overlooking a simple fact. '_If Wheeljack can figure out how to build a simple brain, then you can find the answer_.' His agape and confounded optics betrayed his thoughts and lies. The symbols were there, but when deciphered, they were nothing more than gibberish. Only two names appeared throughout the symbols, but their meanings amounted to no use. '_Don't tear yourself up_,' he commented. _'Frenzy most likely has the rest of the needed information inside that pathetic head that was his_.'

He tore away from his imaginative symbols, and glared at his cockpit. '_Don't go there, Screamer_,' he warned himself, but his logically thoughts had no control over his body. Starscream reached into his cockpit, carefully pulling out the cell phone. '_Please don't humiliate yourself even more_,' spoke his egotistical logic, but his ego's contention was ignored as he hacked once more into the phone's circuitry. "Are you awake? – 22"

He scrutinized the bright screen, becoming pleased as the image "messaged sent" briefly crossed the screen before fading. The seeker brought the telecommunications device closer to his face, and it illuminated the sharp features of his animalistic face. The usual, high pitched "ding" reached his audio sensors. "I am now. Y? :p – Anna" A sleazy smirk crossed his face at her reply.

"I want you to come here. – 22"

"But it's 12:12 am! – Anna."

"I don't give a shit. Get your fleshy ass down here now. – 22"

"Y? – Anna"

"Because you owe me protection, remember? – 22"

"fml. – Anna"

"What does that mean? – 22"

"It means I'm on my way. – Anna."

"Good, lil pet. – 22"

"FU – Anna." He grinned devilishly at her response. The seeker placed the phone securely inside his cockpit, careful to place it on top of the pilot's seat. As he shut his cockpit, the familiar smell of human drifted into his compound component analyzers. The human unsteadily shuffled her way towards him in the pitch black. A pink blanket trail behind her, and she let her pillow (held in the other hand) drag against the floor. Her dry eyes eyed him callously, and spoke all the words she was too lazy to speak.

Starscream lifted the human onto his hand. "You got here quick, Annabelle," he commented. She made a half sounding sneer at his remark. "Don't move," he ordered. The 'con thoughtlessly used his inefficient arm to lower his torso onto the cold surface of the table. The relief from his tender engines no longer pressing against the wall outweighed the brief spurt of pain from arm. The mech raised his arm up, motioning for the human to step onto his wing.

Anna gladly stepped his hand off, tiredly unaware of Starscream's anxious winces. Alert systems flashed warnings of an object moving across the fragile surface of the wing, but the seeker overrode the alerts. Anna plopped herself down, as she wrapped herself in her blanket. She pressed her against her pillow, threatening to drift off into sleep. "Why do you need protection in the middle of the night?" she inquired. "No boogie man is going to get you."

"Logically this would be the perfect time for the autobots to initiate an attack onto me," he stated. "You would usually be away, so they would assume that they could get away with an attack on me. Then later, in the morning, they would lie to you, explaining how I tried to escape." The human murmured an incoherent 'oh, yes', but made no effort to repeat herself. "And you offered your services to protect, so I'm going to use them until I am free of this seventh level of hell."

"So you need me?" she asked.

"No," he retorted. "I only want to use your services."

"But you made yourself seem vulnerable to attack," Anna protested weakly. "You basically said that when I'm not around, you have a good chance of getting your ass whopped by someone."

"You are nothing but an evil necessity to my survival," the seeker informed matter-of-factly. Anna subtly smiled as she closed her eyes. "Hey!" He jostled his wing. "Don't you dare fall asleep on me!"

Anna rolled onto her stomach, glaring at the decepticon's head with unsavory hate. "Remind me to never promise to give you anything ever again," she stated bitterly. The human brought her phone into view, and untangled her ear buds' cord. She pressed one ear bud into her right ear, and sighed. "Why can't I sleep?" she inquired.

"Why do you ask so many questions?" he countered.

"Because I'm curious," she answered snootily.

"Well, I need you to stay awake and watch over me as I recharge," the seeker answered. He could hear her huff, but he dismissed her obvious disapproval of his late night intervention. "Now," he continued, talking civilly. "Why don't you tell me the reason why you loathe the smell of energon."

"I thought you were going to recharge," she snapped.

"I will recharge after I get what I want from you," Starscream retorted. She placed her head on her folded arms. Her eyes looked longingly towards the door. "Are you going to tell me the story or not?"

"You are _so_ impatient," she criticized. "It's a wonder you haven't been captured before for your pathetic flaw." Anna rolled onto her back. She crossed her arms over her chest as she tried to decide where to begin. "I was fourteen," she began. "And it was a usual weekend in November. The twins and I were bored, so I suggested that we play truth or dare. We played it for a while. Then Swipe asked, "Truth or Dare?" I said dare, and he then told me to drink some low grade energon." She paused, smiling at the memory of that night. "Next thing I know, I'm waking up in the ICU, trying to figure out what happened."

"You don't remember anything after you consumed it?" the seeker inquired.

She shook her head. "Not a thing. They twins said I was fine for a minute or two, but then all of the sudden collapse with blood coming out of my mouth. Apparently the energon was beginning to eat away at my soft tissues. By the time I got to the hospital, I wasn't able to hold a conversation. They said I was suffering from bleeding and severe anaphylaxis."

"How long was it till you woke up?" he asked.

"The next afternoon. They had to put me out," she answered. "But I was okay. They just had to neutralize the energon. And thankfully Ratchet and Jetfire were able to explain to the doctors how to neutralize the energon without causing more harm. So as you see, we really aren't a capable species."

"I could have told you that in a half a nanosecond," he sneered.

"So what's your story?" she inquired.

"What do you mean?" Starscream asked protectively. "I have no story."

"I mean how you got into this shape," Anna clarified. "A thing just doesn't get beat up for no reason . . . especially when they're in your condition."

"That's none of your business," the 'con enforced firmly.

"I believe it is," she argued bitterly. "Being the one that found you, brought you back to life, and decided to take your side, I think all you can tell me is a brief summary of what happened. I don't need to know the details, just the general view."

"I said it's none of your business!" Starscream growled.

"Touchy much?" Anna retorted.

A deep alien growled bounced off the walls as he turned his head. His optics darkened to a deeper shade of maroon as he borrowed his gaze into her own narrowed eyes. "You don't understand how ironic this situation is," he said in a slimy, irritated voice. There was dark chuckled that followed, and I instinctively Anna sat up in cautious position. He looked away, staring painfully at the floor. "I had it all," he muttered. "You'd think it'd be the autobots who would stop me."

"Stop you from what?" she asked curiously.

"From saving _my_ race," he answered plainly. "I had it in my hands, Annabelle." He strained his head to see her. "I had the very essence of Primus in my hands, ready to show Cybertron. I'd spent a decade on it, trying to perfect it. I even tested it on three protoforms to see if it would create the energon needed to form a spark." Starscream's voice strained his failure, and his optics began to wander to a distant memory. "I really thought that I had redeemed myself this time."

She watched him for an anxious minute, trying to decipher the expression of his facial plates; but deciphering his face was beyond her experience. "I thought the Allspark couldn't be restored," she said. "I always assumed once it was gone, it was gone."

"Optimus hasn't informed you has he?" the seeker asked rhetorically. She shook her head. "The energy contained within the Allspark can never be destroyed. It must follow our known laws of physics. The energy can only change it form. Above all, it can never use all it's energy. The Allspark, much like us, has to have energy in order to "survive" . . . . if you like that term."

"But Megatron took all the energy," she argued. "Optimus has told me many times how he saw his brother's spark chamber melt from the intensity of the energy."

He shook his head. "That was only a modest portion of the energy," Starscream explained. "I was monitoring it the entire time. Some of it, I will admit, was lost to the air; but most of it remains within the pieces of the Allspark. Each fragment of the Allspark must contain this "divine" energy in order to "live."" She stared perplexed at him. "It's like Frenzy. Every part of the Allspark is "alive" because every piece contains this vital energy. So when the Allspark is separated, its pieces can still survive for a limited amount of time. That's why I grabbed a few before returning to Cybertron."

"Okay," she spoke, as she made sense of what he had said. "But for a limited amount of time? I thought the Allspark didn't need energy."

"We didn't either," Starscream admitted. "At least not until the Allspark stopped producing the vital energon needed to stabilize the spark in new protoforms."

"We?"

"Well, actually _they_," he corrected. "I was busy protecting Cybertron from the Unknown at that time."

"So," Anna mauled, "What type of energy does the Allspark need?"

The seeker made a small, almost unseen shrug. "No one knows, Annabelle," Starscream said apathetically. "Quite frankly, my guess is as good as yours. Whatever it is, it must be abundant somewhere in the universe. I'm sure of that much."

"So your race was doomed even before the war," Anna commented softly.

The seeker regretfully nodded. "Yes, we were. That's why I need to fix it before we all die," he added solemnly. "If I can bring it back, then I can resolve this pitiful war."

"I just have one question, Starscream," Anna said.

"What?" the 'con replied bitterly.

"How were you able to give life to the protoforms, or create a second Allspark without this "divine" energy?" she inquired.

He sighed, getting tired of revisiting topics from his past. "I never said all the protoforms lived," Starscream informed in a chilly voice. "Out of three of them, only one had enough energy to sustain itself. But having one survivor was good enough for me, and plenty to give the waring factions hope at a chance of new life. But when I was to present this new allspark, it crumbled."

"Crumbled?"

"_Crumbled_," he repeated. "It turned an ungodly gray before falling apart into tiny, microscopic bits." Starscream's voice failed to continue. He painfully stared the wall, searching for the answer that had eluded him for the better part of two decades. "I've been over the equations so many times," he spoke in hushed, angry voice. "And they all say that the new Allspark should never have died. I – I don't know how I could have failed. Everything was _perfect_, and then . . . "He closed his optics, and in a defeated manner, pressed his head against the cool surface of the immaculate table top.

"You can always try again," Anna suggested.

"What made you think I wouldn't?" he snapped.

"You just sounded defeated was all," the girl retorted.

"I may have been tossed around a bit," Starscream answered bitterly. "I will never be defeated, Annabelle. That is a verb can only be used among the lesser creatures that pollute the universe."

"Oh, then you must be at the top of the least of the lesser creatures," Annabelle chided excitingly. She could feel his death glare upon her, but only a sleazy smile slipped across her face. "What? You really shouldn't take offense to the truth, Starscream. It's not good for your mental health."

"For your sake, you'd better be being sarcastic," the 'con growled.

"Or what?" the human asked tauntingly. "You're going buck me off your wing?" She placed her hands on her hips. "You're just a giant pussy anyway. Face it." The seeker reached up, and snatched her from his wing. "What the he – " He pressed the edge of his finger to her mouth to muffle her.

Starscream pressed the human against the ground, careful to not apply too much pressure. The last item he wanted was to be moved up on Ironhide's revenge list. "I could crush you. I could bend your body until your bone snaps," the seeker explained. "I could even try to ingest you if I wanted too. Now unless you want to die one of those ways, I would suggest keeping that insolent voice of yours on mute." He added minute amount of extra pressure. "Understood, fleshy?" His only response was primitive loathing of the upper hand he possessed physically.

He released his grip, and Annabelle gratefully slipped away. She stood erect, trying to match herself against him. "You may be stronger," she spat. "But you'll never have my intellect. Even with the help of that supercomputer in your head, you still can't come up with creative comebacks or snippy remarks like me. And I know that is what irritates you the most, Twenty-two. You've never had someone out do you verbally. Am I right?"

"No one has ever outdone me verbally," he stated harshly. "And no one ever will."

"How many times have I outdone you within the few days you have been here?" she inquired. "Surely your "super" brain is capable of _simple_ counting, or am I once _again_ overestimating your abilities."

"_Correction_: you underestimate me," Starscream barked.

"Then prove me wrong," Annabelle demanded. "Show me that you aren't a coward. After all, what's one more human added to your list of murders?"

"You're just searching for attention," the 'con observed. "This is exactly what you crave. You're such a pathetic human. You search for attention in all the wrong places. It's a wonder you haven't died some obscene way already." She bit her lip, remaining silent for once. "You are so insecure, fleshy. You radiate it with your arrogant attitude. You don't know how to stand on your own two legs without someone to support you. I would bet my spark that you've always had what you wanted handed to you, but when you learned that the autobots would leave you, you were upset. After all, if they loved you, shouldn't they stay with you? Not abandon you? The same would go for your parents. Aren't I right, fleshy?"

Annabelle abruptly turned on her heels, and raised her head high. She walked casually away, but there was an air about her that had changed. As she sat down (facing away from him), the seeker could sense the change. She leaned forward, pressing her head into her hands. "I may be a lot of things," she said in a tightly strained voice. "But at least I would never trade my family for strangers' acceptance. You – you have no sense of loyalty or any idea of what unconditional love is. It's no wonder Jetfire doesn't like to remember a shallow, power-hungry leech like you." She laughed mockingly. "You're so corrupted like Megatron, but you perceive yourself a saint." She glanced over her shoulder. "You can paint a silver medal gold, but it'll always be a silver medal, Twenty-two."

Annabelle looked to the ground, before lying on her side. She turned her back to the seeker, and pressed her head to her arm. She scrunched her legs to her chest as she closed her eyes. The seeker expelled a steamy puff of exhaustion. "Humans," he muttered. "Can't even control their own emotions. No wonder you live shallow lives so easily." But she didn't stir. The sleazy smirk spread across his face. "Are you defeated, fleshy?" His optics eyed her still body wearily. "No witty comebacks?" he asked tauntingly. "What happened to that "I'm always going to beat you up verbally" attitude of yours?" The 'con snorted, disgusted at her disrespect. "Respond, fleshy," he demanded. "I'll "listen" to what you have to say."

Frustration and violent impatience crept through his systems. His fingers curled unnaturally tight as he glowered at the human. "No one gives me the cold shoulder, fleshy," he hissed. "Not Megatron, not you or anyone else." She moved her free arm closer to her head. He reached greedily for her, before scooping her closer to him. With an easy flick of his fingers, he effortlessly flipped her onto her other side. He easily recognized the insubordinate death glower because he had held the same look in his optics when Megatron had beaten him into submission. But a more interesting, shiny layer lightly coated the edges of her eyes and trailed down her skin. "Have you been crying?" he asked, half laughing.

Anna tried to roll onto her other side, but his hand was firmly pressed against her back. "I thought you might be more thick skinned than this," Starscream mused. "And I wasn't even trying. It's a pity really. I was hoping you'd be harder to break than this." Her jaw remained tightly locked as he chuckled heartily. "Are you this afraid of being alone?" he asked in a more serious voice.

"The universe is not a kind place," she spoke in a hoarse voice. "And Earth is no exception to that rule." Annabelle sat up straight, using the back of his hand as a brace. "Humans long to be free, but it is human nature to also dictate others. Humans weren't created by God . . . they were made by the Devil. God merely tries to shape the humans in his image to correct what Satan has left undone."

"I thought God puts you humans on here for a purpose," the seeker replied hastily. "That's what the bible says. Isn't it?"

"I don't believe they are given a purpose," Annabelle informed. "I believe they must find it first. That's why humans are so corrupt, you know. They don't search for their purpose. They believe it should be handed to them on a silver platter with a map to help guide them. But that's not how the world works. You have to do everything yourself in this universe."

"They?" he scoffed. "Do you not consider yourself human, fleshy?"

"Cybertronians nor humans understand," she spoke boldly. Annabelle stared at the seeker, with a pleading gaze that wanted him to understand. "It's not the body that defines you of a certain race; it merely classifies your species. It's the mind that dictates what race you ultimately belong with."

"So what race are you part of, fleshy?" the mech inquired coldly; though he had a hypothesis of what her answer would be.

"Both," she admitted. He watched curiously as the edges of her rims shimmered with the unusual substance known as tears. "That's why I need of my families to stay. If one leaves me, then I'm alone." She looked away, finding a nice piece of her shadow to stare at. "I don't want to be one-of-a-kind, Starscream. I just want to fit in with everyone else . . . that is human. But that's hard to do when you feel so alien to the world." She folded her arms around her abdomen. A half sick, and two quarters of humility and helplessness stirred uneasily within the walls of her stomach. She glanced insecurely at him, and found his optics surprisingly relaxed. She wasn't sure the sympathetic look of his optics was real or just another bad interpretation of his facial expression.

He gently brought her closer to his body. "Why," he asked. "Would you want to be part of the inferior race? If I were the only human with a Cybertronian mind, then I would consider myself blessed. You said it yourself, those pathetic flesh creatures are corrupt. I do not understand your logic by wanting to be among a swarm of infected, inbreeding humans."

"I can't lie to myself like you," Anna responded. "We aren't a capable species, and as soon as I accept this, then I know it'll be easier to say goodbye to them when they do leave."

"But why say goodbye?" he asked. "I thought my revival was the reason to make them stay."

"It's pretty much back fired on me, Twenty-two," the human answered. "There's really nothing more I can do, but try to blend into human society. Besides, it's what I _always_ wanted."

"To be accepted by strangers?" Starscream asked. "You are a hypocrite, fleshy."

"I'm not a hypocrite," she defended.

"So you're just going to turn the other cheek and walk away as a quitter?" the seeker persisted. "You're a quitter."

"I'm a fighter," she retorted proudly. "And part of fighting smartly is knowing when you've been outdone and need to retire for the time being."

"That sounds an awful lot like quitting in my vocabulary," he countered smoothly.

"That's because you're one of those creatures who sees the world as either black or white," Anna stated bluntly. "You don't see all the shades of gray in between. I would bet my life to go as far to say you either see someone as an ally or enemy. They're one or the other, but not something in between. Like me, you don't even know me, but you have me classified as an enemy."

"I never classified you as an enemy," Starscream corrected hastily. "You're just an unsavory – " The ground rattled beneath them. Starscream pushed the human underneath the gap of his neck, and she gladly held on tightly to the smooth neck components. He raised his head, trying to find the source of the rattling, but his predatory optics could not aid his search. His jaws parted, half snarling, half astonished. The seeker dug his claws into the table, trying to steady himself. Alerts flashed brightly over his optics. The 'con felt his circuits hum with anticipation of the unknown.

Silence fell over as the tremors abruptly stopped. Anna eased her grip on his electrical circuits, but refused to let go. "Earth tremors?" she asked uncertainly.

He shook his head. "No," Starscream answered frankly. The mech's optics narrowed hatefully to a slit. "Just hang on, Annabelle."

"Hang on? What the hell do you mean ha – " she started when a loud, ear throbbing boom blasted through the walls of the base. Large sections of metal shrapnel scattering to the floor reach their ears. The human pulled herself closer to him. Anna flinched as the pinging ding echoed from the seeker's cockpit. The mech sat up at the familiar sound of another boom. Clear, hectic voices clattered against the walls as they all shouted different commands. Anna stared like a deer in the headlights at the doorway.

Starscream plucked her from his neck and placed her inside his cockpit. Another rickety wave erupted across the floor, followed by an anguished cry. "Whatever you do, stay still, Annabelle," he ordered. His words never reached her ears as she was too focused on what lay outside the door. The seeker turned his head away before a sapphire blast of energy poured into the door. The door flew through the air before crashing ungracefully into the opposing wall.

"Over here, 'Warp!" he barked.

"Got it, Teecee!" shouted back his comrade.

Starscream glowered hatefully at his brother, unsure of whether he detested the autobots or disobedience more. "What the fuck are you doing, Thundercracker?" he asked, half snarling. A violet, ionized gas exploded in the room. A black slid out from the gas, and cleaved to Starscream's vulnerable chest.

"We're saving you," shouted the black seeker.

"Where's your armor plating?" Thundercracker asked urgently.

"In the medical bay," he answered gruffly.

The blue 'con nodded. "Meet me there, 'Warp," he ordered coolly.

The cool, dry air of the autobot base was replaced with hot, wet air. Starscream fell flat on his back, hitting a hard rock. "Sorry, Screamer," he muttered. "Gotta go." He opened his optics wide enough to catch a glimpse of the dissipating form of his brother. Starscream pushed himself towards the gas, growling at Skywarp's sudden disappearance. A second flash of violet light filled the hollow room. The 'con twisted his chest to see Skywarp standing in the middle of Thundercracker and Barricade. A displeased, and previous hidden, scavenger fell off the scout's back. He directed his boiling optics towards hi second-in-command. In Thundercracker's arms were the missing pieces to his chest armor. While he felt relieve to be away from the autobots, the disobedience his brother had shown overwhelmed the tan seeker.

Barricade aloofly glanced at Starscream before looking at Thundercracker for orders, but the blue seeker was oblivious to the scout. Thundercracker stared back at Starscream, trying to find a source of logic within the mech's surging circuits. "Barricade, take Scorponok and patrol the area. I don't want to stay here if we won't be safe," he ordered. The scout nodded, and obediently began to walk away.

"Where the hell are you going?!" Starscream barked. "I am your leader! Not Thundercracker!"

"Technically you're dead," Barricade responded in a monotone. "And last time I checked, a dead 'con can be leader of the decepticons." The 'con walked hastily across the ebony, uneven ground, eager to get away from the fuming aerial commander. Scorponok skittered behind the scout, not giving so much as a glance towards the larger mechs. His tail swished back and forth angrily like a cat's.

"Why don't you walk him to his new quarters," Thundercracker suggested. "And don't warp. Last thing I want is for the base to become polluted with your by-products." Skywarp rolled his eyes as he mouthed a smart remark to himself. The black seeker stepped forward, reaching for Starscream's arm. "And be gentle." Thundercracker looked away from Starscream and marched out of the slender built and dimly lit cavern.

"Don't you even think about lifting me up," Starscream growled.

"Never crossed my mind, brother," Skywarp retorted assuringly. He gripped his brother's arm tightly before teleporting. A flash of bottomless darkness engulfed the two mechs, and then faded as white light splashed onto their bodies.

"I told you not to teleport!" shouted Thundercracker as he entered the room.

The smallest seeker let go of Starscream as he turned to face Thundercracker. "He told me to do it," he justified. "Just ask him."

Thundercracker pushed Skywarp out of his way. "Why don't you go finish setting up the final rooms before I decide to use your spark as an energy source," he threatened. The black seeker bared his dental plates at his brother. Then, with a smart, payback look, he left the room in another flash of violet light. The blue 'con groaned as the lights overhead flickered, dangerously close to go offline for good. The seeker placed the tips of his hands on the bridge of his nose in an attempt to relive stress. He took a deep breath before exhaling through his mouth. He looked genuinely apologetically at his brother. "I have good intentions," he urged.

Starscream looked away, finding the stony wall to be much more deserving of his attention than his brother. Thundercracker set the armor platting onto the ground, careful not to damage or impair it. An awkward tension filled their strenuous silence. The blue seeker glanced at his brother, but his processor was lost for words. The mech knelt down in front of his brother and reached for one of the damaged legs. His optics scanned over damage. He quickly compiled a brief list of the problems and best fit solutions. Thundercracker's hand transformed into a sharp, needle-like projection. He pierced the central circuit leading from the leg to the chest. He felt his wires mesh with his brother's internal components. Data compiles of his brother's status flashed annoyingly across his optics.

"Delete what you need," Starscream stated coldly. "I want to be free of any glitches that slag may have put inside my processors." The blue seeker nodded. Thundercracker disabled his optics as he focused on his brother's wishes. "I need my regenerative code and communication codes reinstalled after you delete them."

"I know," he replied sharply. "I'm starting the process as I speak. I should have your systems replaced within the hour, brother."

"Make it fifteen minutes," the aerial commander demanded. "I have business that I need to attend to before I recharge."

"But – "

"There are no buts here, Thundercracker," Starscream corrected. "I am your leader, and you will do as I command. You should consider yourself that I'm letting you go without punishment . . . especially when you consider your record lately." Thundercracker's face froze with a solemn crease across his mouth. Starscream raised his head high as he carefully surveyed the room. The walls, much like the floor, were ragged with loose rocks jetting out from the walls in random, erratic places. The octagon room's walls were uneven with the floor, creating a sense of instability and claustrophobia. The ceiling catered inwards to the floor, limiting the amount of head room for both he and his brother.

Starscream glanced at his brother to see that Thundercracker had his optics disabled. He looked down at his chest. Behind the glare from his cockpit he could see the human holding onto the seat. Annabelle raised her head, looking over her should at the blue seeker. Her eyes watched with uncertainty as Thundercracker carried on with his task. Anna lifted her head higher to watch Starscream. "Sleep," he mouthed to the human. She shook her head side-to-side. "Now," he added silently.

"No," she mouthed back. "No, no, no, no, no!"

"Is there something wrong, Screamer?" Thundercracker asked. "You seem more tense than normal." He looked up from his internal screens. Starscream slid his good hand across his chest, covering up his cockpit. "You do know that I would not hurt you."

"I know," he replied. "But recent events have made me mistrustful." His maroon optics narrowed their bright light onto Thundercracker.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to go that far. Had I known the extent of your injuries, I would not have so carelessly put your life on the line, Screamer."

"You lie," Starscream spat.

"I assure you I am not, brother," Thundercracker insisted. "I did what I thought was best. Self preservation is the top priority for all of us. Had you been in my situation, you would have gone farther, would you not have?" His apologetic look turned into a defensive glare. "I'm not yet ready to die for something that doesn't work," he added. "Nor will I let Skywarp die for it. He is my bond-mate, and I must keep good on my vows to ensure that I protect him from any hazardous situations or creatures. I did exactly what you would have done for your bond-mate Skyfire."

"Skyfire is not my bond-mate," he growled.

"Then say it to his face," Thundercracker retorted. "Because I believe he is under the misconception that he is your bond-mate."

"Even if he thought we were, which we weren't," Starscream explained bitterly. "That vow would have been made void with my death. After all, a bond-mate would never condemn their mate. An injustice like that is worthy of only The Fallen."

Thundercracker looked away, staring at his leader's injured ankle. "I've just completed deleting your corrupted coding," he stated in a business-like tone. "I'm uploading my regeneration codes into your processor now." The seeker nodded. He reclined his head against the wall and closed his optics. He breathed a heavy sigh as he anger began to retreat from his circuits. Starscream felt his body go limp. He had not realized how much safer he felt in Thundercracker's presence than Jetfire's; and despite Thundercracker's blatant disobedience, he was grateful for him disobeying. "I'm glad you're back," Thundercracker said, trying to relax his own systems. "I'm tired of playing dictator."

Starscream lightly chuckled. "You just don't have the spark for it," he informed. "You're too weak to accomplish what needs to be accomplished, Thundercracker. Pity considering you have so much potential. But I suppose that is good for a second-in-command because I know you'll never want my power." The azure 'con nodded. "And that's a rare trait to come by in the decepticon ranks."

"It is indeed," The seeker agreed, sounding boastful. "It makes a world's difference."

"Literally," the tan seeker added. "How long till you're done?"

"I'll be done when I'm done, Sir," Thundercracker said hastily. "You can't rush repairs, Screamer." He eyed him suspiciously. "Or else you'll end up in the scrap heap again."

"I do have a bad habit of taking the brunt of the attacks," he admitted.

"Perhaps it's time for you to get some new habits?" the mech suggested. His counterpart nodded, remaining silent in his response. The seeker drew back his hand, and gently placed Starscream's leg on the ground. "I'll finish uploading the communication codes after your internal body structure repairs itself. I don't want to put too much strain on it." He backed away, angling himself towards the doorway. "If you need me, I won't be far away."

"You're the one that needs me, remember?" he recalled. Thundercracker rolled his eyes as he left the room. Starscream opened his optics and scanned the room. He carefully opened his cockpit, and before he could grab the human, Annabelle was climbing onto his chest.

"I am going to kill you unless you take me home this instance!" she shouted.

"That'll be easy enough," he growled. Starscream snatched her into his hand, squeezing valuable air out of her lungs. "That is a promise I can keep and fulfill with pleasure." He listened her gasps as she tried to breath. "You're in my world now, fleshy. You're at my mercy. Unless you want me to return you to home dead, that you learn to control yourself." He released his grip, and watched his an amused smile as she fell onto his chest.

"_Shit_!" Anna yelled. She rolled over onto her back and held her left wrist tightly. "Shit," she breathed again. The mech peered curiously over the human. She opened her narrowed eyes, glowering at him. "When they find you, I will not let them spare you," she hissed through her pain.

"You're just saying that because you're in pain," he retorted. His attention focused on the red dribble sliding down her arm. "You're bleeding."

"No shit Sherlock," Annabelle snapped barbarically. She weakly stood up, holding her injured wrist close to her abdomen. She took an unsteady step away from him. The human glanced over her shoulders, trying to depict the easiest way off his chest.

"Sit down before you hurt yourself more," he ordered. She gave him disgusted face and took a step back. Annabelle felt the front of her foot slide downwards, followed by the rest of her body. The seeker brought his hand to her, and with a light 'thump' he felt her body smash onto the smooth armor of his palm. "I told you," he spat smugly. "Now stop being stupid and listen to me before you go and get yourself killed all on your own." He lifted her to his face to get a better look at her injuries. Anna spat onto his face, and watched as Starscream flinched. "How dare you spit on me with lubricant!" he hissed.

"You deserve it," Anna hatefully responded.

"You are too much trouble for your own good," Starscream snarled. His hand curled around her body, and he constricted his fingers. He felt her hot, steamy breath pushed from her lungs. She briefly squirmed in his hand before going limp as a rag-doll. The seeker opened his hand, watching her lay unmoving. "Fleshy?" he inquired. He brought his hand closer to his optics. Her pulse, which had been strong, was only a faint beat. Then, like the ending to a song, it _stopped_.


	18. Chapter 18

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** For once I was able to write the chapter all the way through with taking breaks only to eat and sleep.

Btw, if you are curious, Anna is suffering from a form of Commotio Cordis.

**Replies: **

Waffles,, I couldn't resist not leaving it off there x3 && I don't know if you want to find out. It's a war zone there, lol.

**Pairings:** Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide

**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

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Jetfire stood solemnly over Sarah as she cried out Annabelle's name in a hoarse voice. Her cries varied from soft blurbs to loud, static creating shrieks. Sarah's back was firmly against the wall. The woman's face was covered up her shaky, delicate hands. Jetfire let out a stumbling sigh. The pain Sarah displayed so openly he could only feel in his spark. Every sound she made amplified the remorse seeping into his spark. Like a slow dribble of acid, the penitence began to burn its way to the center of his soul. He slowly brought his hand to his chest, touching the armor plating that covered the most important part of his physical being. The autobot's azure optics diverted from Sarah and searched desperately for an experienced and friendly face to help guide him, but no other autobots had decided to join him. Wet streaks coated the woman's face, and her red, puffy eyes seemed to produce more tears. "We'll find her, Sarah," he offered, trying to comfort himself. "I know we will."

"This is all your fault!" she blasted. Sarah pointed to him with a shaky fist. She stepped away from the wall, using what balance she had to keep herself upright. "This is all you stupid aliens' fault! You're supposed to protect us from those heathens, and you can't even do that! I knew that you bastards had no place among us, and this proves it! Why don't you do the world a favor and leave! If you had left after Mission City like the liaison wanted you to, then my daughter would be safe now!"

"I know," Jetfire admitted. "And I wish we had now. I always feared something like this could happen."

"If you feared it, then why didn't you do anything to prevent it?!" Sarah shouted.

"Easy, Sarah," he soothed. She spun around to see her husband sluggishly walking towards the duo. Ironhide loomed behind the Major, taking his time to look over the damages along the walls. "This just as easily could've happened to anyone else given the situation."

"She's a child, Will!" Sarah yelled. "And now she's a prisoner of war because of them!" Ironhide stopped in his tracks, appalled at the accusation. She rushed to her husband, hitting his protective armor with any extra ounce of energy she could muster. "If you hadn't brought that dumb truck home and decide to resign after Mission City like I wanted you to, then our daughter would be safe! But no, you jut had to let her get involved with them!" She pointed to Ironhide. The autobots held his ground against the furious woman. "And now she's gone. My only child is gone."

The Major grabbed his by both shoulders. "Calm down, Sarah," he said in an even voice.

"Calm down!" she spat. "This is my daughter we're talking about! And you're telling me to be calm!"

"Blaming them won't help the situation," he argued. The man grabbed his wife and pulled her close to him. "I'm bringing her home, Sarah," he whispered reassuringly. "I'm going to bring her back alive and well. I promise you that." Will pressed his head against his wife's. He took his other hand and gently rubbed the back of her back to sooth her broken heart. "She's top priority right now, Sarah. All the NEST officials are on standby. We're just waiting for them to pop up on radar."

"They won't get away with this, Sarah," Ironhide added firmly. "Once we find them, all of those deceptions will be killed."

"I don't want her to ever go around them again," Sarah said softly to him.

"And she won't," Will replied. "She'll never be put into harm's way again. After all of this is done, we're gonna move far away from this. We'll build that dram house of yours, and Anna won't be around them anymore."

"And you'll quite your job, right?" she asked in between sobs.

He nodded. "Yes," he agreed. "I'll resign after I get her back. I'll go finish my degree, and we'll live a normal life. All three of us. We'll have that happy ending that you always wanted." The Major nuzzled his wife, and took a deep breath of her strawberry scented hair.

"How can you be so composed?" Sarah asked as her anger began to flare up again. "She's our daughter and you look as if nothing has happened!" She tried to pull away, but he held his squirming wife firmly in his hands.

"I can't let my emotions get the better of me, Sarah," he spoke. "I have a job to do, and that job is bringing Annabelle back." The woman went limp in his grip. She stared into his eyes, not believing a word he had spoken. "There's no reason to cry when she'll be back here in no time." Sarah nodded. She couldn't find an argumentive thought to use against him. Will looked up to lonely Jetfire. "You knew him best. Where would he have taken her?"

Jetfire shook his head. "I don't know," he confessed. "His mind is light-years ahead of what everyone else is thinking." Ironhide looked sternly at the autobot. The general would not accept an answer that made his Sarah feel more doubtful about their abilities. "But I know how to reach him." Sarah lifted her head and stared hopefully at him. "But I'll need your help Ironhide if I'm going to pull it off."

"What are you thinking?" the weapon specialist asked.

"Starscream still believes I am loyal to his cause," the scientist explained shamefully. "And he would welcome me back into the decepticon ranks without a second thought. But I need for you guys to help me fake my exile from the autobots. It has to be convincing or else he'll become paranoid and suspect me of betrayal again."

"You understand what he does to traitors," Ironhide said wearily.

The mech nodded. "I am well aware of what he does to them," he acknowledged, "But if I don't do this, then we could end up waiting for him to turn up, and that could take weeks. Besides, it is our fault that Anna is where she is now. If this gets her back, then it'll be good enough for me."

"I'll go get Optimus here," Ironhide said. "We'll see what he thinks."

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Starscream stood motionless in a dumbfounded state. His processors froze at the mere thought of her body going offline. "Annabelle?" he breathed. Desperation lurked underneath astonishment of his words. The seeker ruefully shook the body, trying to wake her up. "Annabelle!" he commanded with more effort. He looked towards the doorway with hysterical eyes. He parted his mouth to shout for his brothers, but words failed him as he realized how pathetic and weak he would appear to them for worrying over a human's life. It was only a human, and among the six billion humans populating the earth, she seemed rather miniscule. It felt illogical for him to even be considering bringing her back from the other side. '_To hell with her_,' shouted his egotistical counterpart. '_She's done nothing but be a pain in the ass._'

Starscream's optics parted away from her as he heard heavy steps come closer. "What the hell are you ye – " Thundercracker began. The blue seeker stood transfixed at the human in his brother's hand. "It's a – a . . . " he spoke incoherently as he tried to piece it together.

"It's a human," his brother spat. "And she won't be of any use unless if we can't bring her back among the living. Now go fetch Barricade before we lose her permanently. And tell 'Warp to fetch some oxygen tanks and medical supplies from a hospital. Now do it before I decide to scrap you for energon!" Thundercracker nodded, not in a mood to argue with his superior. He ran out of the room, furiously calling out orders of the decepticon frequency.

He set her down on his chest, watching with a sick, twisting feeling as she lay there. Starscream saw the color drain from her face. From the microscopic level he observed the edges of her lips turning a deathly shade of icy blue. "Come here, Annabelle," he whispered. The mech moved his finger around the edge of her face, still trying to coax her back from the dead. "Where is that damn scout?" he bellowed. Barricade was shoved into the room, followed by a serious-faced blue seeker. The scout snorted at Thundercracker. He tired of being bullied into situations that he found unfavorable.

Barricade straightened himself out, and lifted his head proudly. His optics blinked as he analyzed the details of the situation. "How long has her heart failed her?" he inquired as he inspected her from afar.

"Not long," the tan seeker replied. "Perhaps a minute and forty-five seconds at most." Barricade came forward and in one swift motion ripped the shirt off the human's torso. Dark colored bruises had begun to form and marked the outline where his fingers had crushed her torso. "What are you doing?" Starscream asked angrily.

"She needs a low dose of electricity to start her heart again," Barricade informed bitterly. "Though I – "

"How much does she need?" Starscream yelled impatiently.

"Twenty amps," he answered.

The decepticon leader pushed Barricade away from him. He would be damned if he let an inferior bring back a human. The scout muttered an incoherent insult as he regained his balance. The 'con hastily disconnected an electrical circuit in his left arm. Starscream placed the circuit against her skin. With precision, he allowed nineteen amps to flow through his circuit and into the human. He pulled his circuit away, and intently watched her. The smoldering smell of skin fumed from the human's new four-centimeter scorch mark on her chest. "Fleshy," he called. He pressed his circuit to her chest again when she flickered her eyes opened. She gasped as she craved to fill her lungs with sweet oxygen. Pain shot like an arrow through her chest at the expansion of her lungs. Her right hand flung across her chest as she went to hold her tender ribs. "Where's that oxygen?" he asked.

Skywarp reemerge from his wormhole. His hands gripped the side of an ambulance. "I got a mobile hospital!" he chimed proudly. The black seeker turned around and stared at the human. "That ugly thing is what you're trying to save, Screamer? I've seen autobots prettier than it!" Barricade moved around Skywarp and opened the doors the rear doors of the ambulance. The black and white mech ripped the oxygen tanks out of the vehicle.

He attached an oxygen mask before handing it over to the seeker. "Put this on her face," he stated. "And raise her legs up. That'll keep the blood in all the vital organs." Starscream used his functional hand to press the oxygen mask into place. "And keep her warm! The last thing she needs is to die of shock."

"Keep still, fleshy!" Starscream demanded. Annabelle squirmed, trying fight her way from his grasp. With his hurt hand, he gently elevated her legs. "I'm trying to help you." Barricade threw a blanket at his superior. The seeker took the thin sheet and placed it over her body. Anna relaxed as fatigue set over her body. The scout handed Starscream a bad of fluids. "What do I do with this?"

"Stick it in her arm's vein at the elbow joint," Barricade snapped. "It'll help stabilize her."

"No needles!" Anna shouted weakly.

"You need it fleshy!" Starscream argued. He ruthlessly grabbed her right arm. Anna turned her head away as he harshly stuck the needle into her vein. "I need something to hold it in place," he stated. Barricade tossed him a box of bandages. The seeker tore it open, and quickly peeled a bandaged free. He placed it over the needle. He glanced at Annabelle who was on the verge of throwing another tantrum. "How long do I keep her like this?"

Barricade shrug. "Few hours. Personally I think we should let her die," he stated.

"I agree," Skywarp stated. "Why do we need that human anyway?"

"She'll be no use to The Doctor if she's dead," he explained. Skywarp made a small "oh" with his mouth. Starscream looked critically at Thundercracker. "You haven't spoken much."

"I like watching," he replied plainly.

"Hand me some of the other medical supplies. I need to set her chest and wrist straight before she causes more injury to herself." Skywarp peered quickly into the ambulance before grabbing a box. He tossed his brother's legs. The 'con pulled the box towards closer to himself. "You're dismissed," Starscream ordered. "Return to your posts. I'll rejoin you after I have taken care of the pet." Barricade and Skywarp filed out of the room silently; only Thundercracker loomed in front of the doorway. "Yes, Thundercracker?" he inquired.

"Do you want me to summon The Doctor?" he asked.

"Yes," Starscream confirmed. "And have Skywarp fetch some blankets." The blue seeker nodded, however, his optics conveyed a more curious and unsettling look of dissatisfaction. Thundercracker marched hungrily out of the room. He insensitively glowered at the human on his chest. "I told you to sleep," he stated. "You were the one who disobeyed."

"Disobeyed," she breathed in a raspy voice. "You crushed me!"

"It's a mistake that I won't make again," he assured. "And I saved you, did I not?"

"You killed me!" she yelled. "You – " She cringed as a surge of pain washed over her chest, radiating from her ribs and central chest. Anna felt her heart falter for a moment. Her fingers squirmed unnaturally at the new pain coming form her heavy heart. He stared hollowly at her reaction. The seeker couldn't find it within him to smugly laugh and enjoy her pain, nor could he listen to the tiny voice pleading in his spark to submit to the human.

He opened the box and grabbed the adhesive tape. "Sit up," he demanded. "We need to fix your other problems before you recharge." Anna slowly propped herself into a sitting position. She bit her tongue as the pain rippled over her chest again. "Lift up your left arm." The human raised her arm high enough to give the seeker room to apply the adhesive bandages. She whimpered as he began to apply the white bandages across her chest and at the humility of being bare chest in front of him. "You can lower your arm," he spoke as he applied the last bandage. "Put your wrist to your chest," he added. Anna moved her discolored, swollen wrist to her chest, and placed her closed palm above her heart. "Keep still while I bandage it." Anna turned her head away as he applied the last bandages to hold her arm in place.

"Since when do you know how to heal bones?" she asked bitterly.

"It's like any injury," he stated just as coldly. "If you keep it still, the quicker it will heal. Now put your oxygen mask back on. I don't you want to die again." Anna lied down, curling up in her blanket. She brought the mask to her face, and placed it around her head. "You're being too quiet."

She stared at the far wall, hating the underground feeling it conveyed. "Did you feel it?" Anna asked.

"Feel what?" Starscream inquired.

"The loneliness," she added.

"What are you talking about?" the seeker inquired, growing frustrated at her vagueness.

"When you died," Annabelle clarified hysterically. "Did you feel the loneliness? Didn't you feel like you were alone, and that everything else in the world was fake? And did you hear the buzzing noise? It wasn't at all like people describe!" She closed her eyes tightly, trying to shut out the memory. "I think I'm going to hell, Starscream." She used the blanket to wipe away the tears that formed along the ridges of her eyes.

"Don't cry. You'll only create stress on your body," he said in a firm voice.

"But you heard it right?" she asked again. Anna searched longingly at his optics for a sign of similarity. The seeker turned the other cheek to the human. His optics rested wearily on the ambulance. "Starscream?" she pleaded. She buried her head into his chest as best she could. "I saw," she said. "You watching me. And you didn't kill me. Thank you so much for not killing me. I don't think I could have sto – "

"Quiet, fleshy," Starscream barked. "You will end up killing yourself." The seeker scanned over the human's body and picked up on the traces of goose bumps along her skin. He instinctively raised his body temperature to match her own signature body temperature. "Besides, if you're going to hell, then so am I." She glanced up at him, but all he gave her was a shameful expression of the optics. "And I only kill when provoked, Annabelle. So stay on my good side and you won't have to worry about going to hell when you're only with me."

"But you – "

"Yes," he answered abruptly. "I heard what you heard, and felt what you felt. Now can we shut it for the night? I don't want to recharge with hell on my mind." Anna sighed as she pulled the sheet tighter around her body, careful to make sure she didn't pull the needle out of her arm. "And why are you so concerned about the next life? It's only this life that matters, Annabelle."

"Because for me, the next life is forever," she explained weakly. "I don't have forever to live in this life like you." Anna tried to let her body relax, but the lack of security kept her awake. The sense of him watching her with eyes that never blinked did not help to ease her nerves. She shuddered at the memory of him running his claw gently along her face entered her mind.

"Shhh," he breathed. Starscream pressed the dull side of his claw against her back, and ran it up and down the length of her spine. "It's okay now, Annabelle. I'm not going to harm you," he reassured softly, trying to be gentle with his voice. He felt her muscles tense as his claw traveled along her spine. "I've put too much effort into bringing you back. Now relax . . . I'm just trying to sooth you."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because you are my slave," he informed. "And a slave is no good to me if they are in poor condition."

"I meant the other part," Anna muttered sickly.

"I told you before," Starscream said in an annoyed tone. "There is a difference between the heat of the battle and the joy of killing. I just happen to not enjoy killing as much as my comrades." His voice fell silent as he concentrated on stroking her back. Anna scooted away from his touch, but he brought his claw against her skin again. The human tried to bow her back away from him, but shots of pain raced along her ribs, making it almost impossible to move her back. An invalid whimpered escaped her mouth. "Don't fight it," he murmured. "Just enjoy it, Annabelle."

She flickered her eyes open, and stared at him with a hidden intention. "I hate you so much," Anna breathed. She curled her hand tightly around the thin off-white sheet. "Hate you, hate you, hate you."

"That's okay," Starscream said tolerantly. "A lot of others hate me as well, but when I'm done, they'll love me. Now – " He slowed the motion of his stroking. "Close your eyes. You need the rest."

Anna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Promise me you won't leave me," she asked softly. "I don't want to feel that loneliness again."

"I won't," the seeker assured. "I'll make sure of it." Her body began to relax under his touch. A contented smile tugged along his mouth components. He watched as her chest rose and fell slowly. He traced his claw along the side of her face, carefully stroking her cheek. "Besides, there is a cardinal rule in warfare," he whispered. "Never destroy something that is important." He rested the edge of his finger along her back. Starscream sighed a contented sigh. Peace settled over his tense body slowly. The fiery optics rested on her body, and he watched with satisfaction at her aliveness.

Thump-thump, thump-thump went the repetitive pitter patter of her heart. Never in his life had he been so grateful to heart the sound of a human's heart work. He was thoroughly disgusted at the weakness he was showing for the human. She was, by all accounts, just another human – another energy wasting leech that happened to inhabit an energy-filled planet. The seeker huffed warm, humid air into her face. He narrowed his optics resentfully.

'_Stupid humans_,' he thought bitterly. '_Too fragile to even receive a proper punishmen_t.' Starscream closed his optics as he cherished the warmth that came from her small body. An unusual guilt nipped annoyingly at his spark The feeling of her sitting on his chest in a mangled condition fueled the fly that buzzed inside his spark. Against his better judgement, Starscream's internal processors repeated the information on her condition: two broken ribs, bruised bones, burnt skin, discolored skin, twisted wrist, and a fragile heart. '_I'm going to be easier with her punishments,_' he told himself. The thought did little to ease his spark, but created a sympathetic feeling for the human. Starscream began to rub his claw unusually fervent manner against her bruised skin again. "This will not happen again," he muttered, barely audible. "I promise, Annabelle."

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_In between the blink of her eyes and her last breath, the human found herself lingering above a metallic based alien. She watched curiously as he held her in his hand as if he could not believe it. She looked smugly at him, smirking at his hysterical optics. Anna folded her arms over her chest, watching, waiting for her body to slip beyond the invisible line of return. "My body," she murmured as he shook it. "Don't do that to my body!" She pressed her hands against his, trying fruitlessly to make him stop. "Don't hurt my body!" Anna shouted. "Don't – "_

_Her voice was cut off as an insatiable feeling of solitude washed over her current state of being. She gripped her chest, feeling as if her heart had painfully come to a stop. She coughed as the bottomless feeling within her chest crawled inwardly out through her throat. Her other hand went to her throat, trying to stop whatever it was from coming out. Anna watched through her limited vision as Starscream gently touched her body's cheek, but she felt nothing. She regretfully removed the hand from her chest to touch her face, but she could not feel her own hand; though she could feel the hollow feeling marching underneath her skin. Like a million little ants, they rippled underneath her skin in their pursuit to find a way to escape. _

_Both her hands covered her ears as a loud ringing bluntly pounded and brutally stabbed her eardrums. "Help!" she cried. "Help!" But the world around her faded to shades of gray a she blinked. She reached for his hand, but her hand slid through his with no friction or force. "HELP!" She reached out with both her hands to grab his hand, but again her hands cut through his without any traces. "Starscream! Do something! Please! Don't just stare at me! Do something!" _

_Anna's head looked down as she began sink through his body. "No! No! No!" she shouted. She placed her hands on his circuits to keep her afloat, but they could not grip anything. Everything was fake – an illusion. She curled inwards, trying to shut out the bleakness that bombarded her with every particle, both real and virtual. Annabelle opened her mouth to scream, but the obnoxious ringing drowned her voice. Her hands gripped her abdomen as she tried to hold herself together. _

_The human felt her back hit a hard, icy surface. She opened her eyes, hoping to wake up among the living. A luminescent light as blue as the sky on a sunny day, glistened like the sun on opaque ice. Anna stumbled onto her feet. With slow, aching steps, she trudged towards the sun-like object. She held out her hand, hoping that it would magically reach her grasps. _

_Through the noise she could vaguely hear his voice. "Not long. Perhaps a minute and forty-five seconds at most." Annabelle's knees gave out, and she fell to the sticky floor. Her fingers grazed the outside of the light. Warmth. She felt warmth. Anna groaned as she pushed herself towards the light. 'Warmth,' she thought. 'Warmth.' Anna's head fell into the warmth. She shoved herself again, and managed to wiggle her legs into the security of the silence. The human lay on her side, too tired to move herself into a sitting position. _

_She weakly held out her hand, and watched in wonder as tiny flickers of lightening struck her skin. A pleasant burning sensation searched through her muscles, traveling to where her heart would have been. An unusual sense of tranquility covered her. Anna rubbed her head against the soft, fuzzy feeling of the light. 'I don't want to die,' she whispered to it. 'I want to live. I want to live!' Anna could feel water trickle down her face. 'Don't let me die.' She closed her eyes in an attempt to shut out the morbid thoughts of dying. _

_Thump . . . . thump – thump . . . thump – thump – thump . . . thump. _

Anna brushed her head against the soft comfort that enveloped her body. Warmth, sweet warmth was all around her. The pleasant, harmonious sound gently lingered in her ears, erasing the wounds created by the hellish sound. The human took a deep breath, and she welcomed the feeling of hot air rushing into her lungs, filling all the tiny cells with oxygen. A small groaned escaped her vocals as she exhaled. Anna slowly peeled back her eyelids to see darkness. She groggily brushed her free hand against the darkness, and she felt her nails latched onto something soft. She gripped it tighter and pulled it down.

Light flooded her face, and she turned her face away so that she wouldn't be blinded. She blinked her eyes numerous times she adjusted to the bright light. Anna propelled herself into a sitting position. She brought her hand to her face, and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm alive," she murmured. "I'm alive."

"Of course you are," he answered. Anna looked passed the fortress of blankets to see Starscream standing across the room on two legs. The seeker walked to the human, and inspected her from above. "I kept an eye on you all night. You should be okay."

Anna rubbed her the "sand" out of her eyes before staring up at him. "Wait," she said. "You -- you watched me all night?"

"Yes," he said in a tired voice. "We went over this last night. Do you not remember?"

She nodded as the events from the previous night bean to filter through her mind. "Yeah, I remember," Anna replied. She placed her hand to her throbbing headache. "What time is it anyway?"

"It's around four in the afternoon," he answered. Starscream knelt to the ground and reached for a white metal box and unlatched it. The 'con pulled out a small clear container filled with white pills. He tossed at her feet, and Anna quickly snatched it up with her hand. '800 mg Ibuprofen' read the label. She opened her mouth to speak, but the seeker was holding out a water bottle filled with water. "Take it now," he ordered. "I don't want to hear you complaining about your injuries all day."

She opened the container, and threw the pill into her mouth before screwing the top onto the container. She grabbed the bottle of water from his hand, and took a swig of it. She placed the bottle beside. Anna watched as he stood up with a satisfied face. "When did you start to walk again? And your armor? You have it on," she inquired. "I thought you were going to be useless for quite some time."

"Decepticons heal faster than autobots because of our superior coding," he answered bitterly. "With my new regenerative codes and some aid from Thundercracker, we were able to repair my legs in about four hours." She made a small "oh" with her lips. "Now," Starscream said as he lowered his hand. "Get on."

"No," Anna spat. "I'm not getting on your hands again for as long as I live!"

He rolled his eyes and muttered, "I don't have time for this shit today." Starscream lifted her and a blanket into his hand before she could protest. He opened his hand to let her step onto his shoulder. Anna regretfully grabbed the blanket and hopped onto his shoulder. She sat down, wrapping herself in the blue blanket's warmth. "Good fleshy," he appraised as they walked out of the room. "If you had been cooperative like this last night, that whole incident would have been avoided."

"It's your fault," she hissed. "You need to learn to control your touch."

"I've been practicing if you haven't noticed," Starscream retorted.

"Huh?"

"Your clothes," he hinted. Anna looked down to notice she had a pair of men's cargo shorts on instead of her snoopy themed pajama pants. Her chest was now covered with a white cami underneath a royal plum cami. "And don't you say anything," he warned. "I could've left you wearing nothing over your chest." Anna's face turned red, and she used the blanket to tightly wrap herself inside it. Her body shivered at the thought of him taking off her clothes and putting a new pair on. She couldn't help but feel violated on a new level. He eyed her from the corner of his optics. "No thank yous?" he inquired.

"You had no right," she breathed hatefully.

"On the contrary I have every right," Starscream argued. "You are my slave, and I can do whatever I want with you." She turned her head away from as ominous thoughts of what he could do filled her mind with nightmares. "Don't give me that look when I have energy for you." Anna looked wearily in his direction. "It's edible I assure you, and you may have it after we take care of a few things."

"Things?" she inquired.

He nodded. "We need to change your appearance." Starscream pushed open a poorly welded door. Overhead the lights turned on at the presence of his movement. He shut the door behind them, and then knelt down. He took her off his shoulder and gently placed her on the smooth gravel. "This is where you will stay when you cannot be with me," the seeker informed. Anna looked around the large room; surprised that he has given her, her own space. "I had Skywarp install some basic hygiene stations." He motioned with his head to the toilet in the corner. "I had get you a twin sized mattress for you to sleep on as well. So don't complain about how your back hurts." She nodded as she looked at the twin-sized bed. On it she could see superman theme blankets thrown onto it.

Anna walked towards the toilet when she noticed a red hose and pristine plastic bucket. "That's your bathing system," Starscream informed. She knelt down, noticing the various products hygiene product inside. She pulled out a toothpaste and brush packet. She placed it beside the bucket as she grabbed a pair of American Venus Hazel contacts. She looked towards him confused. "I told you that we had chores to do," he said. "And one of them is changing your appearance." His shadow covered up her body as he loomed over her. "You also have some medium mahogany hair dye in there as well."

"But why?" she asked.

"In cases where you might be spotted by another human," the 'con explained. "I don't want them to be able to identify you as a missing person."

"I see," Anna replied unpleasantly. She stood up, and brushed the dirt off his cargo pants. "But why are you going to all this length just for me? I thought I was nothing more than a pest."

"You are a slave who happens to be a pest at times," the seeker informed. "And any good slave-holder knows that a happy slave will function at a higher level than a slave who is poorly kept. Now get ready. I have a tight schedule to keep today, and I do not want to be running late." Starscream straighten himself. "And if you aren't ready, then I'll take you as you are. Understood?"

She nodded.

He turned his back to her. "And if you try to mess your new appearance, then there will be consequences," the 'con informed. "And they will be painful." He closed the door behind him, leaving Anna to drown in her own thoughts. She took her blanket and wadded it into a ball. She placed the blanket against her mouth and scream as loud as she could.

Outside the door, Starscream bowed his head as he heard her muffled scream. 'She'll come around,' he told himself. The seeker raised his head as he spotted Thundercracker's shadow approaching. He strolled proudly away from the door, and joined his brother's side. The blue seeker casted Starscream a glance as another muffled scream rang vibrated through the walls. "She, like the rest of our race, will come to love me in due time," Starscream spoke.

"And if she doesn't?" Thundercracker asked realistically?

"She will," the seeker said with more confidence. "When are you leaving to meet Skyfire?"

"I am on my way to meet him now, Sir," his inferior responded. "Skywarp is accompanying me."

"Good," Starscream purred.

"The human," the second-in-command asked. "What do you want me to tell him about the human?"

Starscream casted Thundercracker an unpleasant glare as they walked faster. "Tell him that she is no longer his concern."

"And if he should persist with force?"

"Kill him," the seeker said. Thundercracker stopped. Starscream turned his head around. "It is time for him to decide where his loyalties will lie in this war. I refuse to play games with him anymore. Should he agree to side with us, tell him to maintain his post at the autobots' base. If he wants to speak to me in person, then tell him I'll meet with him on my own accord." He looked forward, staring at the black wall. "I will not be betrayed again."

Thundercracker nodded. "It is done, milord."

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**A/N:** for those interested, Anna was suffering from commotio cordis.


	19. Chapter 19

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** I'm terribly sorry for not getting this chapter out sooner, but my old laptop's keyboard decided to go to keyboard heaven about a day after I posted the last chapter. :x Oh well, enjoy the chapter! And have a good Columbus Day! Even if he didn't realize America was a separate continent, lol.

I would also like to dedicate this chapter to anyone who has reviewed. It's been fun reading and replying to what you guys have to say. :)

_**FYI,, TC and Skywarp aren't gay! They have a complicated back story that'll be explained later on.**_

**Replies: **

Starfire201,, yeah . . . poor Jetfire doesn't realize what he's doing. –pats jetfire's head-

**Pairings:** Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide

**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

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The hours it took to reach the outer limits of the Arctic Circle had felt more like nanoseconds to Jetfire. The anxious, fluttering emotions that usually "slowed" time down expectantly distorted time in an unusual opposite affect. The hours leading up to meeting Thundercracker usually gave the autobot enough time to think about his strategy to "stay on the fence" without being marked a traitor, but instead he couldn't finish a single thought. Only miniscule fragments from coherent thoughts bounced annoyingly off the imaginary walls in his processors. As he glided lower over the seamlessly endless land of ice, he felt the pang of guilty surge through his spark. He could, deep within the recesses of his spark, hear his pre-war self-muttering the name "_Annabelle_" over and over. He curled his dark hands into frustrated fists. Jetfire couldn't stand to hear the name muttered one more time, but it wasn't the actual name that bothered him so deeply. It was the person – himself – who spoke it that annoyed him. The saturating hate that burned like acid into his spark was reserved for himself.

The rustling of the wind and solemn humming from his thrusters drifted barely registered inside his processors. The unconscious act of landing scattered the slushy snow across the transparent blue ice. The ice eerily creaked underneath his bulk, and the small family of three polar bears leapt instinctively into the frigid sea. Their splashes were enough to grab his attention momentarily before being drowned in his thoughts, and drowning was the perfect word that kept flashing inside his mind.

Drowning . . . he had heard the term many times when Ironhide expressed his concern about Annabelle swimming for her school's team. His internal lingual systems compiled a list of definitions of the word drowning. The obvious was suffocation by submerging (in water), and of all the definitions it was what could describe his current emotional and physical status. Instead of yearning for oxygen, he was craved the smell of Annabelle's scent. Unlike a human who thrashed wildly, he was stationary and to some degree, composed. Like a human, he felt the crushing weight of the world pressing the life out of him. Like a human, he felt his strength leave his body, and reluctantly, he saw the end begin to dawn. Someone, within himself, would die. The thought of calculating of whether this Jetfire that been created during the war or his pre-war Skyfire self would win was one equation he did not want to finish.

Jetfire carefully pulled out a hot pink rabbit's foot. It had been a gift that Annabelle had given him when he first arrived. _"You'll need it,"_ she had told him bluntly. _"Especially if you're gonna keep up with me!"_ A frail smile pulled at his lips. It was as if she had foreseen the trouble she would put the autobots through. He sighed, and the small smile was washed away. He clutched the rabbit foot, and pressed his closed hand to his forehead.

"I've lost my faith in Primus," he spoke. "But the humans look to you." Jetfire glanced to the crystal skies above him. A pale sun was gingerly floating in the absent space. "And I hope you will make the exception, and allow someone not created in your image to ask for help . . . Please, keep Annabelle alive long enough till I can bring her back into the autobot's safety. " The mech bowed his head. "Amen."

Overhead he heard a roar that could challenge a lion's. In response, his spark plummeted to a new, higher level of shame and guilt. There was only so much he could justify he told himself. _'And then . . ._ ' His thought didn't need to finish itself when he already knew the outcome. In a very human manner, the mech tried to swallow the painful emotions that clung to his processors. The autobots glanced wearily at his shadow. _'Someday we will be one_,' he thought forebodingly. His optics moped mournfully to the rabbit foot in his hand before he placed its storage space. How we wished he could retreat into a safe storage space like the rabbit's foot, and to be protected. Jetfire found himself once again longing to return to his tomb and leave this world behind. Only unpaid debts drug him back down to the ground.

He bowed his head at the sound of two simultaneous transformations occurring. To his right, Thundercracker safely came to a soft stop; while Skywarp, on his left, slid to a stop and sprayed the soggy solid onto his comrades. The pure ebony mech sported a vain grin for his recent stunt. With arrogance that could match Starscream's, Skywarp strolled hastily to the group. A cat-like stealth graced his movements that seemed to come naturally to the seeker. "Did ya see that, Teecee?" he asked smugly. "Bet ya you couldn't do that!"

Thundercracker dismissed the cheeriness lurking inside Skywarp's deep violet optics. "We aren't here for fun and games," he reminded brutally. Skywarp and Jetfire stiffened at the cutting edge of Thundercracker's words. Jetfire forced himself to look at Thundercracker's brooding face. The blue-tinted mech folded his arms across his chest. "What are you staring at, Skyfire?" he barked.

Jetfire instinctively stumbled backwards, and dropped his gaze to the ground. "N – no – nothing," he muttered apologetically.

"That's what I thought," Thundercracker retorted. He nodded to Skywarp, and his wing-mate chuckled darkly. Skywarp crept sadistically to the autobot's back, and unceremoniously kicked Jetfire to his knees. Thundercracker took Jetfire's chin roughly in his hand. "For whatever reason Starscream has sent us here," he spat loudly. "We are to listen to what excuse you have to save your sorry ass for the something time." He tightened his grip on Jetfire's face, and forced the mech to look him in the optics. "Now," he ordered more calmly. "Speak."

Skywarp's knee pressed against the crevices in his back. The tailfin that protruded from his knee wedged itself in between the armor, and touched the delicate wires. Jetfire winced as he was forced to override the warnings that alerted him to danger. "I'm not here as an enemy," Jetfire choked. Skywarp pressed his knee further into the autobot's back. "I swear!" he pleaded.

"Why are you here?" Thundercracker asked suspiciously. "Because by coming here, you are disobeying your orders to stay with the autobots and act as a spy." He heartlessly smiled as Skywarp grabbed Jetfire by the shoulders, and held him in place. The black seeker pressed his knee farther into the circuits. "I will not give you the same tolerance Starscream has so pathetically given you."

Skywarp looked questionably to Thundercracker. This was not at all like his brother to disobey Starscream so bluntly. He hadn't seen his bond-mate act so defiantly since the beginning of the war. Skywarp loosened his grip on Jetfire. His commander began to circle around Jetfire like he was a meal to be devoured. "Now," Thundercracker purred grimly. "Tell me the truth, and I may spare your poor excuse for a decepticon."

"I have nowhere to go," Jetfire confessed. "The autobots, they know too much! Please, Thundercracker, they would have executed me for treachery had I not done what I did!" Thundercracker looked curiously at Jetfire. He motioned with his hand for the mech to continue with his story. "Before you rescued Starscream, I overheard Ratchet discussing what I had told Starscream. Then Optimus was trying to bribe Starscream into releasing the information!" Thundercracker straightened himself, astounded that Optimus would sink to such lengths. "After you rescued Starscream, I knew my time was coming to an end there. I had to deceive them to escape!"

"Deceive them?" Skywarp asked.

"Precisely, 'Warp," Thundercracker concurred. "What exactly did you have to do to deceive them?"

Jetfire hesitated. 'Don't do it,' peeped a small voice inside his spark. 'Don't do it!' The tiny voice retreated as he opened his mouth. "I told them I could get Annabelle back if they let me go back and "pretend" to be a decepticon. I explicitly told them that Starscream would welcome me back into the ranks; that way I could bring Annabelle back to them. It eliminated all questions of my loyalty to the autobots."

The blue seeker nodded approvingly. "You play your part well, Skyfire," he praised. "Very well." Skywarp backed away from the large mech, and eagerly joined his brother's side. A pang of relief washed over him at the absence of Skywarp's knee in his back. "But you will not be allowed to return to the base with us for security reasons . . . That will be Starscream's decision."

"Thank you for your mercy," Jetfire said softly.

"Don't thank me just yet," Thundercracker informed. He turned his head, and glared at Skywarp. "You," he barked. "Head back to the base. If Starscream is there, tell him about our current situation."

"Why don't you ju – "

"Don't argue with your superior, Skywarp!" he lashed. The black seeker stuck up his head before taking flight. With a critical eye, Thundercracker watched intently as his bond-mate transformed, and blasted his way passed the sound barrier. "God damn seeker is more trouble than he's worth," Thundercracker complained. He held out his hand, and helped to bring Jetfire to his feet. "You're lucky that I didn't decide to kill you."

"What held you back?" Jetfire inquired.

"My good conscious," the seeker answered sarcastically. Thundercracker stared out at the ocean. The blue waters provided a nice distraction from the awkward feeling of Jetfire breathing down on him. "I don't see why Starscream would welcome you back. Jetfire. You've been of no help for the past decade. You better hope to be of some use to Starscream or else you'll end up in the Well of Allsparks."

"Hell," he corrected.

"What?" the mech asked, sounding slightly insulted.

"Hell," Jetfire responded. "That's where I'm going when I leave this plain of existence."

"If you believe in that kind of stuff," he huffed.

"You're an atheist?"

Thundercracker nodded. "No sane entity would create a world, or universe for that matter, where his creations go and blow each other to pieces. There's no logic there . . . Besides, if there were a hell, no one would survive there because everyone would be killing one another. And how could a perfect, blissful place exist? If it were to exist, it would deprive its inhabitants of freedom to preserve the peacefulness." He scooped a clump of snow into his hand. "When we die, we die. There's no fate that exists beyond this one." Thundercracker patted the snow into a sphere. "I don't see why people look for a purpose in this life."

"But science can't explain why something happened," Jetfire argued. "Only how it happens."

"I would have thought you to be an atheist," the seeker replied casually. "Being a scientists and all . . . "

"I've been in my field of interest long enough that I know nothing can explain for life," he stated. "I've seen so many things in my life that are unexplainable . . . Skywarp for example. How anyone could survive an explosion like that and still have a spark is beyond all calculations and theories. What happened to him was – "

"A fluke," Thundercracker finished bluntly. "That's all it was. And it's not like he entirely survived either. He doesn't anything from his past life. He just started from scratch again."

"You've done a good thing by taking him under your wing," Jetfire offered.

"Have I done a good thing?" he questioned. Thundercracker glanced at Jetfire. The annoying feeling of doubt began to seep into his processors, and he was sure Jetfire could see it in his optics. "He is nothing like his former self. He has no morals, no love for anything but risk. He's not the same lonesome creature he used to be. I've raised a monster, Skyfire. And sadly I've let my emotions become too attached to him."

"Why are you going in such depths with me?" he asked hesitantly.

"Because when you love a monster, then you'll do almost anything for it," Thundercracker stated. His optics buried their selves into Jetfire's optics. "I know for a fact that 'Warp will be the end of my existence."

"Starscream will not be the end of my existence," Jetfire argued.

"I'm not talking about Starscream," Thundercracker informed. The black mech made a small "oh" with his lips, and looked away. Sympathy climbed into his processors, and before he could stop it, Thundercracker placed a hand Jetfire's shoulders. "Humans are a species not worthy of such energy." Jetfire stiffened, his boding becoming rigid like a comet. "Don't' worry," the seeker spoke. "I know what it means to sacrifice your values for something."

"But why aren't you – "

"Just don't let them know you aren't loyal to the cause," Thundercracker warned. "Or else I'll have to kill you then."

"So she's okay?" Jetfire asked. He could feel his need to search for answers begin to arise.

"I can't tell you that," the seeker informed bitterly. The other mech looked down at the ground with hardened eyes. He knew logically that Starscream would try to separate him from her. "As you know, humans are quite the hardy species." Jetfire smiled at the news, but Thundercracker's face did not share his emotions. He could see the trouble that lay behind his superior's optics. The Sr-71's spark plummeted for the second time. "But they weren't made to live with us."

"I feared that," he responded emotionlessly.

"Like I said," Thundercracker restated. "Don't let yourself get involved with a monster."

"But what if it's too late?" he inquired softly.

"Then, as the humans say," the seeker answered. "You're up shit creek without a paddle." The two looked at each other before chuckling. "We're both fucked," Thundercracker added lightly. Jetfire abruptly stopped chuckling, but the seeker began to laugh harder at his words. The words held a heftier weight behind them, and both of them knew it.

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

She ran her fingers through her hair again. The dark strands seemed unreal to be hers; even after the tenth time of examining her hair, Anna couldn't believe she had gone from a vibrant California blonde to a brunette. It didn't feel right to have to cover her blonde hair with dyes; especially since the blonde hair had been a trait that she had been thrilled to inherit from her mother. The last thing she wanted was to blend into society where she would go unnoticed. The human leaned forward, itching to look at herself in the mirror, but her room lacked such a convince. '_Bastard probably did it on purpose_,' she thought bitterly. Anna pressed her head to her knees and sighed. "And now it's curling," she muttered sarcastically. "Great."

Annabelle regretfully lifted her head as rays of eye blinding artificial light drizzled into the cold room. Starscream gingerly emerged from behind the door. His optics, which were filled with irritation, scrutinized her changes as he approached. "You did what I said," he said in a slightly surprised voice. He knelt down, and reached for her chin. Anna turned her head away, but he used his fingers to jerk it back into his favorable view. "You even did your eyebrows," he mused. "The eyes match perfectly with the hair as well." She spat in his direction, barely missing his hand. "Do that again and you'll end up with your other arm broken." He placed his hand on the floor, and Anna regretfully walked into his grasp. The 'con placed her on his shoulder.

"So when do I get my food?" she complained.

"You will not address me in such a rude manner," the seeker criticized. "Especially in public."

Anna rolled her eyes and huffed. "When can I have my food, Lord Starscream?" she asked in bittersweet voice. The seeker pulled a can of heated Campbell's Vegetable Beef out of his cockpit, and dropped it at the human's feet. "It's hot," she said, flinching as her fingertips grazed the outside of the can. Starscream grabbed her blanket and tossed it at his shoulders. Anna lifted the can with the help of the blanket to help protect her from the heat. "Where are we going?" she asked as he walked out of the room.

"Just eat your food," he muttered grumpily. "Actually don't open it just yet."

"Why not?" she asked angrily.

"Because you'll burn yourself otherwise," Starscream answered.

"What are you ta – " The 'con snatched her from his shoulders, and placed her inside his cockpit. Anna felt her head hit the back of the seat. She whimpered as her chest was pressed awkwardly against the blunt object in the cockpit. The human propped herself into a more comfortable position, and held on tightly the controls. She bobbed up and down as the seeker ran through the hallways. The closed environment amplified the clicking from his working hydraulic system. "What are you so excited about?" she asked harshly as he sharply rounded a turn. She stared ahead and saw the unforgettable darkness of the night. Both a sense of joy and fear gripped her. Annabelle was more than happy to leave the confines the labyrinth, but the unknown of what he would do to her quickly overlapped her joy. "We're going outside? Why are we going outside?" she asked hastily.

"Just hold onto the seat before you injure yourself anymore," he growled. Anna cringed in horror as they crossed the barrier to the outside world. With wide eyes, she watched the ground beneath her become smaller as him leap into the air, and she instinctively grabbed the seat with all her power. The clicking and re-mending of metal and shifting body parts surrounded her. Never before had she been inside a transformer as they transform. Thoughts of being squished or mangled violently filled her mind. A powerful blast eclipsed the other sounds in a violet boom. Anna lurched back into the seat. She dug her fingernails into the seat for therapeutic reasons. "Relax, Annabelle," Starscream spoke as he flew casually. "We're just going for a quick flight."

She eased her grip on the seats, but refused to let go of it. Anna peered through the tinted windows at the colorless earth below them. Mist, in the form of loose snow, swirled and danced effortlessly across the ever-white landscape. She placed her pale face against the chilly glass to get a better look at her new surroundings. Gray mountains sprouted from the ground, and they disrupted the perfect tranquility of the flat land. Her hazel eyes meandered to the horizon where tiny shimmers of winter sunlight peaked over the horizon. Annabelle's head slowly traveled to the dark, crisp sky that loomed peacefully above the sunlight. Twinkling stars shimmered above with an unearthly beauty that she had never witnessed. "Where are we?" she asked softly, not wanting to disturb the beauty around her.

"Mount Waesche, Antarctica," Starscream answered bluntly. "You're a long way from home, Annabelle."

"No kidding," she spoke through her shock. She leaned against the seat, and pulled the blanket around her torso. Anna tore the lid off the Campbell's can. She took a small slurp, savoring the taste of warm food. "It's cold enough to be Antarctica." The cockpit's temperature began to climb to a comfortable seventy-eight degree Fahrenheit "Thanks," she muttered.

"You can speak out if you need something," the seeker informed.

"I thought I wasn't allowed to because of the whole slave thing," Anna retorted a little too harshly.

"I'm not trying to kill you," Starscream reminded through bitterness. "I'm trying to train you to be an efficient and domestic slave for my personal use."

"Oh yes," she said sarcastically. "Because that is really so much better."

"It is," he confirmed. "I could've given you to Scorponok as a snack, but I didn't. You should consider this an honor to be the personal slave to the future ruler of Cybertron. Many others would die for the chance just to see me . . . You may even get your own little footnote in history if you play your cards right, Annabelle. You can be immortalizing in our history."

"I don't need all that glory," Anna replied. "I don't want to be famous. I could careless about that kind of shit. I was just a functional family; which is a bit harder to find, Twenty-two." She took another sip of her soup. "Because for me this life is so short that I've got to make it less about shallow shit and more about the real people that matter."

"Why not have both?" he asked.

"Have you seen Hollywood?" she retorted. "They are famous and have the most effed-up lives in the world. I can't name one off the top of my head who is famous and has a down to earth life. It's like an unwritten law on this planet that you can't have both."

"On this world," the 'con emphasized. "On Cybertron you could have both."

"I don't think I'll be moving to Cybertron anytime soon," Anna said pessimistically.

"If you live long enough, you will see it," he promised.

"I don't know whether or not I like that idea of living that long," she admitted. "Just thinking about spending that much time with you is enough to make someone suicidal."

"Are you suicidal?" Starscream inquired scientifically. "Because I can have Skywarp retrieve you some anti-depressant medications if that is what is making you irritable."

"No," Anna stated defensively. "I don't have to worry about killing myself since I know you'll take care of that part."

"I told you it will never happen again," the seeker hissed. "And I brought you back, did I not? I took care of you! I even had Skywarp go out and fetch you your necessities! Do you know much my processor ached after dealing with his whiney-ass complaints?" Anna closed her eyes as he began to shout out his thoughts. His engines began to rumble unsteadily, and threatened to push them to mach two. "I did this all by staying in that room all night so that you wouldn't be alone! And now you insist on bringing up my one mistake instead of enjoying what I wanted you to see!" He swerved erratically to the left, heading back to the base. "I don't know why I even brought you out here. Now I'm going to miss it too," he growled to himself. "I hope you are proud of yourself now, fleshy."

"You brought me out here to see something?" she asked meekly. A small guilt and confusion began to bottle up in the pit of her throat.

"Yes," he answered fumingly.

"Don't get so riled up," she replied defensively. "I thought you were taking me somewhere bad. You seem to have a recent consistency for winding up in bad places." There was dead silence that filled the cockpit after her words. Anna placed the soup down on the floor, and wrapped herself even tighter in the blanket. "We can still see it," the human suggested softly. She didn't want to be yelled at anymore, especially since a tinge of guilt was nipping at her conscious. He didn't respond. Instead the air, metaphorically, became colder. "I mean, it's illogical to waste all this energy to come out here into the cold and not even see it. Please, Starscream?"

The seeker turned around, and a relief washed over Annabelle. "It would be illogical to come this far and miss such a rare occurrence." Starscream felt a boom shake his wings as he accelerated passed the sound barrier again. The below zero temperatures felt like a long lost drug, and oh much he had missed it! The bitter chill was invigorating to his deprived systems. He had had to suppress the urges to roll and dive with the wind. There was a physical pain (that he wouldn't speak of) from denying himself the pleasure of releasing his pent up energy during flight. '_Dumb human_,' he thought. '_She just had to go get herself injured_.'

"Where are we going?" Annabelle asked.

"We are where we need to be," Starscream stated. "I'm just looking for the perfect spot to watch it from." The mech swooped down closer to the earth to get a better view of the land. "I don't want you to miss any part of the spectacle."

"What is it that we're going to be seeing?" she questioned. "I want to know."

"You'll find out," he spoke teasingly. "Have some patience, Annabelle."

"You're telling me to have some patience?" she asked insultingly. "I'm not the one that demands to have everything here and now."

The seeker slid across the icy surface of the ground as he landed. The cool breeze drifting across his wings was a temptation that was hard to ignore. He would no doubt have to make time to release himself when the human was not around. "Just keep an eye on the sky," Starscream ordered firmly. "You should start seeing them any moment now with your eyes." He rolled slowly across the land, picking the perfect position to watch from. He turned off his engines as he stopped. "Look to the left, about at the nine o' clock mark. That's where they will start to come from."

"They?" Anna asked. "Who are – " She stopped talking as the first glittering marble-like rock flashed across the sky. It's green light faded to yellow at the tail. As it approached, the colors shifted from green and yellow to blue and green. Violet tips sparked from the center of the light as it entered the atmosphere. The reflection of other burning specks danced within the wet surface of Annabelle's eyes.

"Four thousand of them will cross this sky within an hour," the seeker said softly. "It's a rare spectacle that you won't be able to see again in your lifetime . . . That is, unless you come to Cybertron. Then you'll get to watch them on monthly basis."

"It's so pretty," she commented. "I've never seen them looking so pristine."

"Everything looks crisper here, Annabelle," he explained. "This is one of the few places on Earth where you can see the stars for all their beauty. And here you can watch it all day long because of the lack of sun." Starscream let out a loud, homesick sigh. Thinking about the idea of no sunlight, or any sun for that matter, instantly made his memory banks taunt him with images from a pre-war Cybertron. Starscream didn't resist the memory as he recalled the crisp images of Cybertron. He felt a tiny warmth comfort his spark at the old image of Cybertron's artificial light casting a glow over the world. Koan, as he recalled, was forever engulfed in the yellow glow; while cities, like Iacon, would only be flooded with light during political conventions. The seeker shook the memory from his mind as he concentrated on watching the meteor shower from earth. "If you were in better condition, I would have taken you to get a closer look," he added.

"That's okay," she replied indifferently. "I like watching them from down here. I like their colors. It's gives them an unearthly touch by being beyond my reach." She reached playfully for one of the falling clumps of dust. Anna's thoughts drifted to idea of falling to earth. Seeing what a falling star saw had to beautiful she thought. 'At least they'll never get to see the negative side to life on earth.' Anna sighed as her body began to tense. 'Life on earth is one bad, violent joke.' Soft, pacific music began to play as she lowered her arm onto her chest. The human felt her muscles relax, and a soft comfort crept over her being. She propped her legs onto his dashboard as if she had been doing this with him for years. A tiny voice in her head squeaked in protest against letting she be relaxed, but the music was tranquil and hypnotic. "I didn't know you liked classical music."

"You've had a few good composures here on Earth," he admitted. "It's a nice change since we don't have music on Cybertron."

"You don't have music?" she asked, sounding bewildered.

"None," the seeker clarified. "My race has never needed music. Most of your music on Earth is trash anyway, but you do have some humans who can create appealing patterns with various pitches. This particular piece is from a composure known as Wolf's Rain. It's called "Friends.""

"Well I think it should be renamed," Anna said. "Like Falling Stars or something."

"You're just saying that because you're watching burning specks of dusts," Starscream argued.

"So," she replied. "I still think it fits it." Anna let her thoughts slide away. She contently watched the falling stars, and listened to the gentle sound of the music as he played one soft song after another. No song was too loud, but rather seemed to dribble gently across the sky like the snowy meteor shower in front of her. In a strange sixth sense, Anna could feel the decepticon relax as well; Starscream didn't exactly lower his guard, but she was sure he did relax. He allowed his mind to drift to the stars, and in a rare moment, he pushed the nagging thoughts about his work to the back of his processor. The strange sensation of having an empty mind filled him pleasantly. He unusually let the feeling engulf his systems. It felt awkward to be so cushy when he had a human sitting inside his cockpit; yet, it felt strangely familiar.

She reclined her head against the back of the seat without a care. Her mind drifted between the realm of possibilities and reality as she watched the comets. In the midst of the limbo state, a hilarious thought crept into her mind causing her lips to curl into a coy smile. Anna could picture his hologram lying lazily over an F-22's wing. His feet would dangle off the wing's edge, and only moved because of the wind's persistent nature; even the thick sandy hair would sway like grass in the wind. He would placed his hands behind his head to be a makeshift pillow. Those vibrant amber eyes would stare mindlessly into the stars. His gaze, for once, would not stare into the future, but look at the now.

They sat, she didn't know how long, watching the meteor shower. The world has seemed to fade away, and within her bliss she had almost forgotten she sat inside a decepticon with two broken ribs and a sprained wrist. Together they watched as the meteor shower crept slowly in front of the gray moon. The atmosphere created between the celestial spectacle and music was hypnotic-like. The anxious, loathing feelings still twisted and squirmed deep within her stomach, but the seeker had thoroughly suppressed any fight that could lurk within her. The only movement inside the cockpit was a placement of her hand on the dashboard as she repositioned herself. The blanket fell to the floor, but she felt no need to retrieve it since the cockpit was still warm and secure. Security was the last emotion she should have felt inside his cockpit, but there it was, creeping through her muscles. The temptation of sleep crossed her mind, but the desire to stay awake seemed so much better. Annabelle felt her eyelids begin to betray her eyes. They slipped over her eyes.

The images of the bright lights lingered in her mind, and involuntarily she began to smile at the mental images. It was relaxing to sit in comforting aurora of the decepticon's cockpit; even if the seat was beginning to create pressure points along her tender back. Anna rolled her head against the seat and let out a contented sigh. She knew allowing herself be so loose in his presence was an illogical decision on her part, but she couldn't muster the strength to throw another tantrum, nor did she feel as if she could verbally combat in him in her half asleep state.

"Perhaps we should head back before you fall asleep," he spoke, more to himself than to her.

"I'm okay," Anna dismissed. "I'm just resting my eyes."

"Your vital signs say differently," Starscream, informed.

"We can watch it for a little bit longer," she insisted. "It's not like I'll ever have the chance of seeing this again."

"Your eyelids have to be open to watch it," the seeker said bluntly. Annabelle shot her eyes open, but the seeker's engines were purring for lift off. She felt defeated for a few seconds before exhaustion stole her attention. "The peak of it is over," Starscream added in a monotone. "I have business to attend to today, Annabelle. And work must always be done before personal time."

The human yawned, letting out colorful primitive sounds. "Then you'll get no personal time," she objected.

"I do what I must," Starscream countered. "In the words of Bumblebee's bond-mate, "No Sacrifice. No Victory."" She rolled her eyes at the obnoxious family motto. The seeker's engines roared to life as he gladly took off into the sky. A combination of vapor trails and powdery snow drifted over his wings as he carved his way through the approaching blizzard. "I also need you pristine condition for tonight."

"Where are we going tonight?" she asked, trying to remain neutral.

"You'll be debriefed at the meeting with everyone else," the seeker answered.

"If we're going into public view, then I need a few things," Anna said. "Like a flat iron, curling iron, and mirror. The last one is a priority that can't be ignored."

"You don't need a mirror," Starscream objected.

Anna ran her fingers through her hair, watching as the dark strands fell out of her hand. She felt ruffled that she had not been able to see what she looked liked, and his veto on he request let her mind begin to dangerously wander. 'What the hell do I look like?' she thought urgently. The human's self-consciously ran her nervous fingers through her hair. "Yes I do," she urged. She ruffled the back of her hair near the crown as she tried to poof it up. "I cannot live without a mirror! And I need to see what I look like." Annabelle took a cluster of her hair and shook it to prove her paint. "You can't expect me to live like this? Humans need to know what they look like!"

"You don't need a mirror," he reinforced firmly. Anna huffed as she pressed her back against the seat. She groaned at the painful forgetfulness of her injured back. "You – " The seeker searched for the right words to use. He didn't want to stroke her ego. "You look acceptable the way you are." The human rolled her eyes and shook her head disgustingly from side-to-side. "Trust me, it's an improvement," Starscream quarreled. "I would not deliberately reduce the efficiency of your appearance if helped."

"I don't think I trust your word on it since – " Anna closed her mouth immediately before the words could leak out.

"Since what?" he asked fretfully.

"Nothing," the human muttered spitefully. "Nothing at all, Lord Starscream. Everything is peachy as can be." Starscream breathed out a low growl. They lurched forward as the seeker began to vent his impending rage by accelerating. Anna reached for the cold can of Campbell's soup, and brought it to her mouth. The soup felt slimy as it traveled down her throat. She placed the can in between her legs because she couldn't muster the stomach to slurp something that felt slid slowly down her throat. Anna reached for the blanket. Anna wrapped the blanket around herself, warding off the chilly silence that filled the cockpit. Annabelle's eyes caught the last fleeting images of the meteor shower. 'It's warmer in space than here,' she thought sourly. 'A lot warmer.'

She gleefully slid off his hand, using it as a slide, and softly landed inside her fortress of blankets. Anna's limbs felt like heavy weights made out jell-o. She pressed her good side, if she could call it her good side, against the padded floor. The human closed her eyes at the touch of a thick, wool-filled blanket being placed over her body. The mech knelt as he dragged the dull side of his claw against her sensitive back. Underneath the blanket he could feel the electrical impulses of her muscles contract at the weight of his claw.

"Could you not?" Anna asked, sounding harsher than she had intended. She flickered her eyes open, and he was staring at her with the most peculiar face. Was it frustrations that cause his optics to glow brighter or the disgust that a fleshy would have the "guts" to ask something like that? "It hurts," she added falsely.

"Why must you fight me every step of the way?" the seeker asked rhetorically.

"Not used to someone that's going to kick your ass?" she taunted. Anna tightly closed her eyelids as he dragged his claw forcefully over her back. The violet images of seeing him shacking and squeezing her body brought back the fear of dying again. She longed for the security she had felt inside his cockpit. The insecurity that now sprung inside her mind felt as if it were trying to crawl through her skin. Tiny shoots of pain created an invisible path from where his claw had traveled. Anna's mind was put on pause as she whined.

"Just about everyone wants to kick my ass," he stated bluntly. "Autobots, Decepticons, neutrals, humans . . . The list could go on and on." He leaned over her, and brought his head uncomfortably close to her ear. The distinct smell of energon lingered on his breath. Anna began to breath through her mouth to avoid the smell. "I'm just tired of all the illogic that everyone else seems to lack," he spoke softly. "No one can comprehend what I am trying to do." The seeker paused. His optics began to drift away to Cybertron. "And I can't wait for them to catch up to my intelligence." Anna could hear the desperate tone lurking within his whispered words. "It'll be too late then."

"Have you ever thought maybe you yourself aren't suppose to save your race?" she inquired. The accusatory sound of her voice rung out in her words.

"If I don't," he retorted. "Then who will?"

"Someone will," Anna muttered jadedly. "Someone will have to because you'll end up killing yourself by putting all this responsibility on your spark."

"You'll be what kills me, Annabelle," Starscream corrected stonily.

Anna yearned to roll over and face him directly, but the mere thought of lying on her broken wrist and sprained wrist deterred her. Pain, as much as she hated it, was a good motivator and punisher. It was the only feeling that kept her from hitting him with her good fist. "Then why bring me along?" she asked maliciously. "After all you are so valuable to everyone. I would have thought you would preserve yourself at all costs."

"I did not plan on bringing you here," the 'con expressed frankly. "You are an unexpected, and rather expensive, addition, Annabelle."

"Then why did you throw me into your cockpit when your brothers rescued you?"

He was thankful the human could not see his optics. He was afraid that she would see the truth behind them – a truth that he himself did not want to admit. "I did it so that, in case my foolish comrades failed, I could say I protected you. Then, hopefully, the autobots might've felt in debt to me and repaired parts of my body," he proclaimed. The seeker looked away as the human opened her eyes. Anna strained her eyes to catch a glimpse of his optics. There she saw what she was looking for: shame, pity, confusion, frustration, and guilt. All the emotions pointed to one conclusion; he was lying, and doing a poor job at it.

Anna opened her mouth, but the seeker interrupted her by stating, "Don't say anything." She shut her mouth, but the determination to beat the truth out of him was there, clear as day; and he loathed her determination because it was as strong as his own. '_Bad trait_,' he criticized. _'I'll have to remove it from your personality_.'

Starscream rest his hand next to her back. The warmth the human produce was inviting compared to the coldness he had just flew through to return to the base. His free thumb defensively wrapped around her small waist. Starscream had to close his mind to uncluttered the many thoughts that rushed at his processor. Emotion after thought tried to direct him to the answer that lay before him, but pride dismissed what his internal analyzers indicated. 'Must be a glitch,' he thought.

He ventilated cool air into his system, but it did not clear his processors as he had hoped it would. "I . . ." he voiced died before he could finish his thoughts. "There are certain, unwritten laws that must be abided, Annabelle. To violate them would be to condemn one's spark to an eternal hell. And one of those – " He lost his words. The seeker nervously used the tip of his thumb claw to delicately stroke the human's vulnerable abdomen. She breathed slower, trying to fight the instincts to jerk away from the metal made predator. The action was not soothing to the human, but Starscream found a strange fondness to touching the human. Even more so, he loved being on control of her fear. The vulnerability she displayed was a wonderful and addictive change.

"One of them is you do not kill your fellow Cybertronian without good cause." Anna's eyes lit up like a light bulb, but not in a pleasant manner. If it were anything, it was an uncontrollable hate. "You are not human mentally, Annabelle. Your inconsistencies with your story prove that." Her lips began to pull into a deep scowl that border-lined baring teeth. "I believe you when you say you need both worlds, because you believe you do; but wanting to be human will never erase the feeling of being Cybertronian. One cannot simply make the jump from one race to another. It is something that we are taught. Unfortunately for you, you will never get your wish of being fully human."

"Shut up!" Anna growled belligerently.

"It's true," Starscream urged. "That's why you can relate to humans, but never feel human. It explains how you feel Cybertronian but not be able to relate to them. They've sheltered you, and excluded you from what you belonged too. That's why you yearn so foolishly to become human because you aren't sheltered from that world. You have been shunned from your true family. It explains why you grip so tightly onto your dam and sire. And as they begin to drift apart, you feel as if the world is turning on you – the little misfit who exceeds the natural boundaries between our species."

He carefully rolled her fragile body onto her back. The anger and resentment she felt throbbing in her heart rose onto her face. Other uncontrollably emotions, like insecurity, bubble into her eyes. "That's why you are the way you are." He watched her softly, feeling deep pity for the creature. She had been a caged bird, and a mere oversight for the enemy. He thought of it a shame that the autobots had not see the unremarkable potential she possessed. "It's also the same reason I put you into my cockpit. You are, in a sense, a new protoform - the first one since before the war. It's a crime that Prime did not see that in you."

"Now," he spoke delicately. Starscream ran his claw from her abdomen, along the inside of her legs, to her feet. Anna's toes squirmed and contracted at his touch. The word violation was repeated over and over inside her head. "Will you let me bring you into the world where you belong. I will show you everything you ever needed." He gingerly lifted her limp body into his hands, trying to show his restraint to her. "All those wants to be human will be replaced by actual, realistic dreams that you could achieve. I cannot do this if you will fight me, Annabelle."

Annabelle tried to compose herself. She didn't want him to have any satisfaction from his touches. "Do I have to swear an allegiance to the decepticons?" she asked.

"No," he spoke. "You do not have to join any faction, but you will need to pledge your allegiance to me. This way I can shelter you under my wings so-to-say and, perhaps, mold you into the one protoform that may understand why I do what I do." He laid her gently down. Starscream grabbed a pink blanket, and shoved it underneath her for support. Though grateful the care he was displaying, suspicion lurked beneath her skin, and Starscream could sense her distrust of his words. "Will you come home to where you belong, Annabelle?" She unsurely glanced away. "There's no need to rush to a decision. Take your time to decide."

"Can the terms be negotiated?" Annabelle asked frankly.

"You can try," the seeker answered. He took a claw and brushed it through her hair. He traced it gracefully along the edge of her mandible, and then lifted Annabelle's head to inspect her. A harmless smile crossed his face, and a pair of lazy optics watched her stiff face. "You look so much better a brunette, Annabelle. It gives you a fiercer look. It matches that cynical attitude of yours." He brought his hand to a resting position above his thighs. "Now go to sleep, Annabelle. Your body needs it so that it can repair the damage." He sat up straight, waiting for her to drift away to her dreams.

"Aren't you going to leave?" the human inquired.

"I made a promise to make sure you would never be lonely," he reminded in a child-like tone. "And I intend to keep that promise. You should be thankful because I'm the only one in this base who will not kill you purposely."

"That's a comforting thought," she spoke sarcastically.

"Have you ever heard of the saying "Never look a gift horse in the mouth?"" Starscream berated.

"I'm glad that I'm right to not trust," Anna said smugly. "I'm just sorry that you'll never see how wrong you are, Twenty-two." She pulled the blanket tighter of her body. The human wanted as many layers of blankets between herself and him as possible.

"Just go to sleep, Annabelle," he ordered effetely.

* * *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

Skywarp shook the ice from his wings, cursing angrily at the frozen liquid. The ice and water fell to the floor, creating a dark pool of liquid. He rotated his arms to loosen the trapped ice, but gave up after the first three rotations. He aggravatingly began to stalk through the halls. The liquid on his armor glimmered in the light to his horror. 'Stupid light makes me look like a femme,' he growled to himself. '_And stupid Teecee jut had to decide on Antarctica. How does he expect any of us to enjoy flying here if it's too cold for birds to fly_.' Hi wings bristled at his frustrated thoughts, and glazed against the hard wall. He jerked away, only to have his other wing scrap against the other wall. '_Primus dammit. I'm so sick of small hiding places!_' He thought as he straightened himself.

The black seeker stood outside Starscream's quarters with a sour face. The last criticisms from Starscream and Thundercracker ran fresh in his mind. He grabbed the sides of the wall, trying to stall for time. Skywarp hesitantly poke his head into the room. His leader stood over the human, before flashing Skywarp with a predatory gaze. "You look pissed," he stated bluntly. The words came out faster than his processor could keep up with. "Did the tiny winy li'l squishums get on your nervy wervies?" Starscream growled, careful not to wake the human. He illogically stepped into the room. He folded his brooding arms across his wide chest. "I'm just asking," Skywarp said defensively.

"What do you want, 'Warp?" he asked. The unusually calm tone of his voice was a red flag, and the most deadly omen that Starscream already had a punishment ready for any horseplay. And without Thundercracker around . . .

"Teecee is awaiting orders concerning Skyfire," he explained quickly. Skywarp's optics averted his brother's heated gaze. The violet optics roamed around the room, casually inspecting the boring walls. His curiosity peeked as he saw the human's tired face relaxing peacefully. "What the hell did you do to it?" He took a step closer to get a better look, but Starscream took a defensive in front of the human. The black seeker stopped in his tracks, not wanting to test his brother.

"Teaching the human, her place," he answered bitterly. "I should've taken you with me as well." His impatience began to show as his hands curled into a fist. Skywarp stepped backwards as he tried to hide his aggression. "Now what does Thundercracker want?" Starscream asked hastily.

"He says you're to decide if Skyfire should be able to come back to the ranks," Skywarp explained. "He says he must rejoined the decepticon ranks in order to keep the autobot's trust." Starscream stared quizzically at his wing-mate. For a second Skywarp thought his brother's logic chip would implode. He shrugged, trying to diffuse the growing tension. "I dunno. I wasn't really paying attention. It just seemed like a bunch of bullshit to me." Starscream pressed his free hand to his forehead at his inferior's incompetence. "So am I relieved of duty?"

"Yes," Starscream breathed hatefully.

"So I can do anything I want?" he inquired hopefully. Skywarp stared childishly at his commander. A sleazy, up-to-no-good smile crossed his face.

"Yes," the seeker growl. He waved the seeker away. "Go do whatever your spark desires so long as you as you stay out of my way!" Starscream turned his back to his comrade as he tried to restrain his anger. He loathed how inferior Skywarp had become over the years. Had it not been for Thundercracker and his unique teleportation ability, Starscream would've melted him down for parts and fuel. '_Just like a human_,' he compared. '_A troublesome human_.'

The seeker eyed Starscream's human with an evil eye. "So, you do mean anything?" he asked more in depth.

"Yes!" Starscream shouted. He whipped around with a hand raised.

"Okies," Skywarp chirped quickly. He ducked as Starscream attempted to smack him across the head.

The ebony mech left the darkly colored room in a vibrant flash of violet light. The overhead lights flickered for a few seconds at the presence of the violet gas. Anna's eyes fluttered open as she regain consciousness. She used her right elbow to propped herself into a comfortable sitting position. "What the hell is with the yelling?" she asked, sounding grumpy.

"Nothing," Starscream informed. "Just taking care of business. Now go back to sleep." He gave the human a violet glare. All the unsaid words lurked behind his optics. Hate. Anger. Violence. Impatience. Annabelle pressed her good side against the blankets. She knew when not to test him, and this, her instincts decided, was a time to keep her sharp tongue shut. Anna closed her eyes, trying to escape back to the happy, blissful life she had been living before him . . . even if it would only be temporary.


	20. Chapter 20

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Hopefully you'll have just as much fun reading it.

**Replies: **

_I'm so sorry for not replying earlier! Please feel free to hit me over the head!_

Tlcoopi7,, they sure are!

PwnKage,, I can't answer the other question, but I can tell you why decepticon are aftholes. It's because they've had to put up with Screamer's voice for the past couple hundred of years without earplugs to block out his voice, lol. That kind of sound does bad things to your mind after a while.

Cadence Barrick,, thank you. ^^ hopefully this'll still match the quality of my other chapters. :3

**Pairings:** Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide

**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

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* * *

Ironhide sat atop the gray boulder as he gazed idly onto the soggy valley. Puddles of water reflected the young azure sky. The depleted grass fell limply to the dark, saturated ground. The few evergreens that survived had the ends of their needle-like leaves changing to a dead brown. He sighed into the cold air, hating how his breath was visible. The creaky sounds of rocks tumbling reached his audio sensors, but the mech didn't stir . . . he didn't want to move so long as this dead silence persisted.

The human squatted down, placing his chin on his curled hand. His hazel eyes were clouded by the haze of a sleepless night. The gravity of the situation was more finely engraved onto Will's face. His wrinkles were exaggerated in the early sunlight. He roughly ran his hand through his hair.

Will stared at the ground and said, "You iron giants have done a lot for us over the years . . . been through a lot too . . . together I mean." Ironhide remained unmoved, still as a statue. "I know how it feels now, and I'm sorry for keeping you on the sidelines all these years. I forgot how hard it is just to sit and watch."

"I've been put on the sidelines longer than this before," Ironhide informed emotionlessly.

"So you aren't going?" Lennox inquired.

The mech shook his head. "No," he stated bluntly. "I'd get too caught up in revenge to think straight."

"So who – "

"Arcee and Cliffjumper are good leaders," Ironhide said. "And among Mirage, Powerglide, Blaster, and the new recruits, they'll be able to track down those decepticons without any hitches. Provided Jetfire gives them the coordinates."

"You think he'll – "

"Yup," he answered shortly.

"Optimus Prime seems to th – "

"Optimus Prime has never seen him under pressure," Ironhide answered. "No one has."

"So do you think he can d – "

"I hope so," the autobot answered curtly. He glanced at Will the saddest, most pathetic look he had ever seen a creature express. For the first time in his lifespan, Ironhide had used the word hope because he didn't know what the outcome was going to be. Quite frankly, he was scared to find out what the outcome could be.

Lennox reached and touched his warm to the giant's cold armor, but he felt nothing. A rock would have felt more comfort in the small gesture. The autobot looked away, retreating back to the memories of a young Annabelle Lennox – his Annabelle Lennox, the one that would never runaway from him.

* * *

* * *

The sound of the mech snarling as his wings unexpectantly hit the wall awakened Annabelle. The seeker's growls subsided, but his irritation remained strong, bubbling underneath his armor. He swiftly swerved on his toes and he critically analyzed his slave. "Finally," he grumped. Anna raised her head snootily. "You're awake."

"I need sleep," she reminded slimily.

"I know," Starscream retorted. His voice was more screechy than normal, and Annabelle had to mentally stop herself from flinching. Nails on a chalkboard sounded better than his voice at the current moment. The seeker's swift but ungraceful movements were unusual from what Annabelle had been accustomed too. As he loomed directly over her, Annabelle sat up, trying fruitally to match at least to match one twelfth of his height. "I wished you didn't need so much."

"Hey!" she shouted. "I am not some punching bag for your bad attitude!" There was a pretenscious silence that filled the gap between her words. Starscream took a step away from the human. His face relaxed, and Anna sighed. She was relieved at the safety cushion between her and the mech. The human stood onto her two legs, eager to stretch her aching muscles. Anna looked away from him to stare at the room, but there were no obvious changes she could see. _'For doing a lot of work, it sure doesn't look like it,'_ the human thought bitterly. '_You think they wou – ' _Anna was lurched into the air. The warm grasp of his claws tightened around her body.

He held her above his head, too happily examining and savoring her fearful, angry expression. "You missed the briefing," Starscream informed critically.

"Well, whose job is that?" Anna spat. "It's not like I'm built with an internal alarm clock."

"I had to let you sleep so that you would function better," Starscream growled. "Otherwise you won't be able to function." She stared, perplexed, at him; her gaze shifted from confusion to hostility. He rolled his optics away from her. He sighed dramatically to release the exhaustion caused by Annabelle's cynical attitude. He moved down the hall hastily, even eagerly. "Why do you _always_ assume I'm up to no good?" he inquired critically.

"Because you aren't up to _any _good," Anna spat frankly.

"And _you_ aren't up to any good either, Annabelle," he reminded. "Anyone who would rely on such radical and desperate tactics is never good."

"Well, aren't we two of a kind," she said flatly.

"Don't sound so disgusted," the seeker retorted.

"And why not?" the human asked smartly.

"Because people like us don't come around very often," he answered in an even tone. Starscream raised head, displaying the arrogance he so proudly and boldly loved. The edge of his optics gleamed with dangerous self-satisfaction. Anna gawked at him, trying to sort through her confusion. _Us?_ Had he blown a logic chip?! "Don't look so shocked," the decepticon commented. "It makes you look weak."

"Us?" she blurted out.

"Us is a word to refer to a party of two or more," he informed. "And there is me, and there is you . . . a party of two to my correct calculations."

"But what did you mean by _us_?" she asked with more persistence.

"Us is us, Annabelle," he replied in a monotone. "Nothing more to it than that."

"Bullshit!" she hissed. "You're the worst liar I've ever met."

"Or the best one," he chided.

"Doubt it," Anna breathed.

"Do you want to test that hypothesis?" he asked sarcastically. The seeker halted outside the entrance of their complex caverns. A wave of goose bumps raced across the human's skin. Her trembling muscles were polar opposites of Starscream's own mechanical system. The cold was so much more natural to him than heat. The confinement was a good trade if it meant escaping the heat. His wings stiffened as the snow began to stick to his armor. The engines along his back gently purred as the wind rubbed against them. The warm vibrations they emitted made him all the more eager to "stretch" his wings and fly.

"As a matter of fact, yes!" Annabelle snapped. Loose strands of her dark hair wavered in front of her face, blocking the death she was giving him. "I want to see just how good of a liar you are."

His optics glowed brighter at the cutting edge of her voice, and the opportunity to prove him superior. "I accept your challenge," he chirped sweetly. Another cold burst of air bombarded them, and Annabelle visibly flinched at the cold's sting. He gingerly placed Annabelle into his cockpit before her cells could freeze. "Hold tight," he ordered. "I don't want you to sustain any more injuries." The human's grip weakly registered to his internal pressure sensory system, but any grip was better than none. He kicked off from the ground, heading head first into the whiteout. His angular body cut through the thick blockade of snow easily. Starscream had almost forgotten how much his new earth form was superior to his bulky, jagged protoform. It was a shame that the other aspects of their civilization trailed so miserably behind their technology.

The seeker broke through the snow and emerged a top a white storm. The wind whipped the snow from his body, traveling through every hidden nook and cranny. His internal temperature reading dropped swiftly to a comfortable and more preferred status, save for his cockpit; that part of him he had to keep warm if the human was to survive. He peered through the glass, watching with dissatisfaction as she sat awkwardly on top his controls. "You have no problems going very fast, do you?" he inquired seriously.

"I've gone up to mach three," Anna said neutrally. "Jetfire would never let me go any faster than that though."

"You'll survive going mach ten then," he replied casually.

"I can't survive that!" the human protested. "That many g's on my body will _kill_ me!"

"Did you really think I meant it?" he asked. Annabelle's face angrily scrunched up. She took her free hand and slammed it against the cold glass. He chuckled. Humans were so amusing in their actions that he had no doubt they could make wonderful pets if trained. "I told you I was the best liar you'd ever meet," he gloated. He rolled onto his back as he began to fly over the storm. Annabelle's back pressed against the interior seat. "I'll have to come up with some new way to fly with you when I'm in my bipedal mode," he said disappointingly.

"Why don't you just use your disguise?" she asked smartly.

"Because there are quite a few moments where I prefer to use my Cybertronian form," he replied sharply. "And there will be times when the most logical form will be this form."

"Well excuse me for using common sense," Anna huffed.

"_Lack of_," Starscream corrected, his voice sounding harsher than he intended. He went silent for several moments, his mind drifting away from their current argument. Annabelle crossed her arms. She blew on the loose strands in her face. "I was thinking, Annabelle . . . "

"Yeah?" she asked unpleasantly.

"That after this mission, I should commission a suit to better suit you for our world," the seeker answered.

"Why?" Anna asked curtly. "I'm not going to Cybertron anytime soon.

"I'm talking in general," he clarified. "I need you to be as versible as possible. It would also serve you for defensive purposes should we encounter any autobots or if you provoke any of my soldiers into a frenzy."

"Isn't that your job to protect me from them?" Anna questioned suspiciously.

"I'm not your guardian," Starscream said abruptly. A harsh stillness suddenly dropped over them. He felt the human twist onto her good side. She pressed her feet against his controls, but he let this annoying act go unpunished. He deactivated his optics and guided himself through the humans' GPS system. His mind began to slip into his most recent memories. They stirred an uneasy mixture of emotions that spurred his anger, curiosity, and determination.

* * *

Then, exactly four years and 21 seconds ago

* * *

_Lying lifelessly on the colorless steel table were the failed attempts of life. The protoforms' bodies were slumped over each other, looking as if they were trying to support each other in their final moments. In the left's curled hand was the right's hand. Somehow, beyond his comprehension, the young protoforms had been able to overcome their barbaric instinctive programming all because of fear. At their young age, they knew on some basic level what death was, and the fear of nonexistence had brought them together. _

_Starscream stared blaitingly at the duo. "I never thought I'd see the day when protoforms were more civil than us," he told himself. The mech lifted up their brittle bodies before pulling them apart with force. Tiny bits of metal clattered to the floor along with a few precious drop of energon. He carefully looked at them separately, noting how lonely they look when they were not together. The seeker placed them onto the tabletop once more._

_Light flooded the room, followed by Shockwave's dutiful steps. "What was their cause of death?" the military advisor inquired. _

"_The obvious," Starscream replied in a steady voice. He turned around to Shockwave. The seeker's optics were barely lit, even flickering with rage. For days he had locked himself in the lab as he concentrated on fulfilling his promise. At this point, he felt the frustration of having to accept another broken promise under his reign. "What is the status of the third protoform?" _

"_You'll be pleased to know that he is stable," Shockwave informed. "He is displaying all normal functions for his level of comprehension. He will be ready in less than an hour to be upgraded to a level two functioning status." Starscream nodded. "If he continues on this path, he will achieve full functioning status in a year's time. You may very well fulfill your promise to the autobots and decepticons."_

"_Have they kept quiet about it?" he asked. _

"_Yes," the mech answered confidently. "But again, they have no choice but to remain quiet, my Lord. Should they escape, they will tell Prowl, but a few captured council members wish to meet you with. They were very much inspired by your coronation speech made earlier. They say if you fulfill this promise, then they will swear their loyalty to you. The council members will, as promised, speak on your behalf to the autobots." Shockwave paused to let Starscream absorb the information. "This could be the beginning of the end of this war, Lord Starscream." _

_Starscream turned to the window where he peered onto the streets below him. The recent injured decepticons were slowly crawling their way back into the city. Leaking energon from their wounds had created a small, steady stream. Several dead lay on the side of the road, their grey optics staring at the life source in front of them. The seeker blinked a few times as he took in the scene. He raised his head, swelling with pride. "Do you remember, at the beginning of this war, I told you I would be the one to bring home a victory," he told. "You said I was a fool."_

_Shockwave bowed his head to his chest. "I was ignorant, Lord Starscream," he answered. "I did not realize your potential at the time. I am gravely sorry for doubting your abilities, Lord. If I could, I would go back and change that."_

_He turned on his heels to face the purple mech again with folded arms. "Shockwave, go forth and summon my forces. Tell them I will be delivering a speech in two hours. Set up a general broadcasting and bring the protoform with you. I want all of Cybertron to see what I have done." _

_Draped over the balcony was a purple banner wavering in the hot, moist air. Imprinted on the cloth in gold was the decepticon symbol and beneath that was the elite seeker guard symbol. Farther down on the banner, almost at the bottom was Starscream's name elegantly written. From either side of the balcony rose intricately built pillars that stretched the limits of Cybertronian architecture. In the artificial light, they glimmered like ebon' diamonds. Thousands gathered below the central building in Trypticon. The mixture of red and blue eyes stared angrily and sometimes puzzlingly at the balcony. Skywarp and Thundercracker stood opposite ends of the balcony, each holding a sword honorably between their legs. _

_Ramjet stalked towards the center of the balcony. He briefly stared over the crowd until they quieted. "Today, I am proud to present unto all of Cybertron, Lord of the Decepticons, High Aerial Commander of the Seekers, Captain of Cybertron's First Defensive Division, and Giver of Life, Starscream!" he proclaimed. "For he has returned unto us what the autobots' destroyed – life! From the deepest parts of hell, he has faced Optimus and the humans to bring back what we thought lost. And today, he is proud to present to you the first protoform since before the war!" The snowy seeker moved aside to join Skywarp. _

_The echo of his steps eased the uneasy looks the anxious crowd was passing to one another. With anguished, hatred eyes, the autobots saw their captor move into the light. The usual stern face was absent, replaced by a rare facial expression: happiness. Starscream surveyed the crowd little by little. He purposely took the time to address the council members silently. Several Cybertronians turned their heads around to look at the elders. The only autobot not to address the seeker was the faded pink femme: Elita One. _

"_I come here not today as not as a leader, but as a fellow Cybertronian. It has come to my attention that we have let this war consume us, even allowing it to erase all ties we once shared among each other. It is a sad problem, but a problem we must address, not as separate factions but together as a whole race. Should we remain separate, then we will destroy each other; which is why I need to remind all of us what we can achieve when we are at peace." He turned his gaze his left and the crowd curiously looked to the far reaches of the balcony. Shockwave emerged from the doorway, carrying a lithe object in his deep violet hands. The mech hesitated before gently placed the protoform onto the hard, unforgiving floor. Starscream knelt down, motioning to a small, ebon' protoform. _

"_Oh my primus!" cried out a nearby by autobot when he saw the protoform walk into Starscream's hands. Other members in the audience stood motionless, wondering how such a realistic hologram projection could exist, but all skepticism was dismissed from their minds when the protoform gazed into the crowd with light blue optics. _

_Starscream held the protoform close to his chest while allowing the audience to get a clear view of the mech. "May I present unto you, Scourge," the seeker presented. The stocky protoform looked up to Starscream. His low functioning systems could only grasp the shallow meaning of the words the High Lord spoke. "His existence was only achievable through the collaboration between autobots and decepticons." _

_Perceptor and Wheeljack bowed their heads to their chests. The guilt was compressing their systems from all sides, slowly pushing their systems towards temporary shut down. As Starscream continued to give his speech, Tomaandi looked to the scientists. "That's why he looks like Optimus, isn't it?" he asked in a hushed voice. They gravely nodded. "Then perhaps he will be the Prime to save us."_

"_He is no Prime," the femme spoke. The trio looked over to Elita One, whom was staring at the protoform with somber optics. "He never will be either . . . not while he is under their command." She closed her optics, struggling to contain the growing rage inside her bustling circuits. "He'll be lucky to have a sense of moral."_

"_But Starscream has brought life to us!" the elder protested. "Is that not good enough for you?!"_

"_He has brought life to this planet for one reason," Wheeljack hissed. "And that is to spawn himself a generation of worshippers. He will use them against those who oppose him; he will kill people like us, Tomaandi. You may be spared because of your unfaithfulness to the autobot cause, but the rest of us will be melted down for energon." _

"_You are being dramatic, Wheeljack," Tomaandi retorted. "I have spoken to Shockwave and he assures me, that no such thing will occur."_

"_So now you're going to start trusting a decepticon?" Blaster asked hatefully. _

_The azure 'bot looked through the fiery, young autobot. "You and the rest of the autobots need to look past your illogical hatred and trust the decepticons. They have what we all need! I for one will not condemn my race because of my intolerance towards them."_

"_So you are willing to – " _

"_WHERE IS THE ALLSPARK?!" screamed Elita One. Suddenly the entire crowd's eyes were upon her, and the menacing glares from Starscream's guard looked as if they were ready to pounce on the autobot. She stared upwards and looked past the audience's eyes to see Starscream. The High Lord chuckled darkly. The seeker was not about to let this femme ruin his moment of glory. "If you created life with the Allspark, then why not show it to us that it works! For all we know, you could have just transplanted an autobot's spark into that protoform!"_

_He was stiff, rigid with anger. "If you want to see the Allspark work, then I will show you!" Starscream bellowed. The mech handed Scourge over Thundercracker so that he could address the pressing matter at hand. "Shockwave!" he barked. "Bring fourth the cube and a protoform! We'll show the autobot what I have done!" He raised his head, eyeing her with deep, unlimited hatred. From his throat escaped a primitive growl, and nearby decepticons took a step away from the seeker. "Come closer so that you can see," he ordered. _

_The crowed moved aside to form a crooked path to the building. The lanky femme strolled forward with an air of aloofness drifting about her. Her eyes never veered to see the faces of many glowering or pleading with her to stop, her eyes were trained on Starscream and Starscream alone. Several autobots turned their heads away as they feared the worst to come: her death. Ramjet flew down from his perch and yanked the young femme into the air. The seeker threw her onto the balcony's floor with no hesitation. _

_Elita One gathered herself. From here, where all the other buildings appeared to be miniature, she could see the vivid faces staring at her. The numerous autobots gawked at her; while others, like Perceptor, could not bear to witness another autobot bashing. All the autobot faces pulled at her spark. The word failure swirled inside her central processing unit. She, Elita One, Senior Captain of the Fifth Regime, had for the second time her life let down the autobots. _

"_Do you see what your ignorance has caused?" Starscream asked, whispering the words to her. "You could stop the suffering, Elita One. All you have to do is join me in my cause."_

"_I will never join your cause!" the femme yelled. "Your cause is fate worse than Megatron's. Unlike Megatron, you know what it is like to be one of us! You were one of us at one time, Starscream! Even before this war, you were one of us! Now you have turned on us! Instead of helping us, you plan on enslaving us! You will not stop! You have been infected by power and greed! And I will prove it when your Allspark fails!" Physical exhaustion swept over her, and it took Thundercracker's hand to steady her. "You are no Primus," she whispered. "You never will be."_

"_We will see," he spoke. _

_Shockwave reappeared with the New Allspark and empty protoform in hand. He passed both to Starscream, who then gave the protoform to Elita One. "Just so you can see it's not a trick," the seeker hissed. He raised the cube above his head, holding onto tightly like a trophy. "Here it is! Your New Allspark! Fully restored to produce energon so that our planet may live once more as the beautiful empire she is." All the hushed voices were silenced by his words. For many it was too good to be true, but for the majority it was inspiring, even godly that a Cybertronian could recreate such divine energy. In their optics glimmered one similar emotion: hope, hope that Elita One was wrong and Starscream was right._

_He brought the cube close to his chest. The symbols were perfectly engraved down to the last pica-meter. So much time and energy had gone into this project that finally showing it to the world was incredible. Violent surges of excitement pulsed in circuits, enough that he thought he would become giddy after proving Elita One wrong. He felt the heavy weight of war lift from his shoulders as he saw the end of the tunnel to the hell that all Cybertronians had been forced to endure. 'Primus is shining of us today,' he thought. He stared over the cube for a moment more before placing it next to the lifeless protoform. "Now," he said. "I will make you believe." _

_The crowed held their breaths for a moment but nothing happened. He moved the New Allspark closer to the protoform, trying to encourage the New Allspark to create new life, yet it refused to produce the life giving energy. Elita One looked at him with skeptical optics. He was too consumed with the New Allspark to notice. Hushed voices began to speak in the crowd. Starscream felt his spark pulse furiously like the human's sun. "Work!" he breathed. The seeker shoved the New Allspark into the protoform's chest. "Work!" he growled. _

"_It's not working, Starscream," Elita One stated bluntly._

"_You will address me as Lord Starscream!" the seeker snarled. Without thinking, he took the back of his left hand against Elita's facial plates. She stumbled backwards, dropping the protoform in the process. His beating red optics looked angrily at the protoform. He began to bend down to pick up the protoform when a sickly, crackling sound ricocheted from the cube. Starscream stared towards the crowd, trying to figure out which 'bot had created that distraction, but it took Thundercracker's voice to make him look at the cube._

"_What's happening to it?" breathed his second-in-command. The other members inside the balcony gawked at the cube. A fission burst from the center of the cube, emitting a bright azure light. The light lit up Starscream's face as he stared at Primus's essence. The seeker was tempted, oh so very tempted, to stick his hand inside and pluck the energy out of the New Allspark. The decepticon leader pried the New Allspark open more. _

"_Starscream," Elita One spoke softly._

_She collected the protoform before bringing it close to the New Allspark. The protoform was yanked from her grip by an invisible force. The gray, lanky body hovered the light like an angel. Starscream outstretched his hand and tenderly touched it's mandible plates. The protoform's yellow optics light as brightly as the humans' sun. It parted its mouth, letting out a blasphemous scream. The entire audience, except for Starscream, flinched at the sound. The seeker was too entranced by the phenomena to think of anything else except for how beautiful this life form looked. It's circuits turned baby boy blue, radiating light like a neon sign. The edges of its dense armor burned white, it even began to smoke. _

_Somewhere in its scream, Starscream could hear the words of some other being. At first the words were whispers as soft as the fluffy clouds on Earth. They invited him, encouraged him to wrap his hand around the protoform. There was a darker side to the words and as their strength grew it became apparent that these were not kind words but warnings. The voice that murmured them belonged to him. Starscream jerked his hand away, suddenly filled with fear of the power coursing through the protoform. The protoform fell to the ground, still glowing. A rare wind howled, where it blew over the audience. With cold hands, the wind brushed over the protoform, turning it to ebon' dust._

_Then he felt the wind roll through his hands. The New Allspark turned from a stone gray hue to a lifeless, soulless grey. The light vanished, causing the cube to cave in. As it collapsed upon itself, the New Allspark began to fall apart on the microscopic level. From hard metal to dust, the cube fell apart, and slipped through his fingers. When the wind died, a pile of dust lie at his feet. Starscream's expression was as blank as his processor. He crumbled to his knees, looking at his hard work. _

_Shockwave hungrily moved forward. "What have you done, Starscream!" he screamed. Thundercracker bristled at the raw, unrelenting murderous tone of Shockwave's voice. The purple mech raised his laser, pointing it Starscream's head. Thundercracker began to raise his own weapon, but Ramjet had his plasma gun lodged in between the blue seeker's engines. Skywarp began to raise his null ray, but the sound of Ramjet's weapon warming up stopped him. _

"_You have betrayed us!" he snarled. "You broke the New Allspark!" He pressed his weapon against the seeker's head, but Starscream was oblivious to what was happening around him. Shockwave turned his attention to the crowd. "You saw it for yourselves how Starscream destroy our New Allspark! Even after Megatron sacrificed himself to bring back the cube, Starscream still put himself in front of the needs of our race, something Megatron would never do! He has committed treason for the last time!" _

_Starscream blinked, slowly analyzing the situation. He raked his mind to understand Shockwave's logic, but he couldn't understand his own thoughts. The only coherent thought that he understood scream, "Flight!" He narrowed his maroon optics on the dust. Inside his spark chamber was his spark; which was swollen with rage. The seeker activated his engines. Shockwave flinched, using his hand to protect his optics. The mech hauled his body into the air, where his claws gripped the side of the balcony. He flung himself over the edge and took off into the sky. _

"_OPEN FIRE!" barked Ramjet. _

_Skywarp glanced unconfidently at Thundercracker. His programming told him to protect his trine leader, but his program also told him to destroy traitors. His blue counterpart had his head bowed, submitting to Ramjet. "I said open fire!" Ramjet snarled towards Skywarp. _

_Various shrapnel whooshed passed him. He had reached an altitude high enough that he had that extra sliver of a second to dodge the bullets and blasts. Starscream would have flown straight into the evening sky, but the protective dome that covered Trypticon prevented him from doing so. He rolled over, missing a nasty plasma blast. He stared at the balcony, where, he saw Skywarp raise his weapon. The seeker didn't care that that small bullets pierced his armor and lodged themselves into his circuits. He cared that his own brother dared to raise a weapon at him. Starscream whirled around to avoid the blasts, but Skywarp knew his brother's flight patterns. _

_The violet blast collided with his engines. For a moment, the tan seeker hovered in the air. So many emotions swam inside him, confusing his thought process. The word "betrayal" slipped from his mouth as he plummeted down to the unforgiving ground. His external and internal systems were registering the hits and analyzing the damage. He knew he should have felt the blasts colliding with his body, but the only pain he felt came from his core. This pain was unlike anything he had felt before. It pulsed rapidly, fueled by some unknown force. It seared his circuits, causing his optics to offline at the surge of energy. Starscream deactivated his other sensors because it no mattered how much damage he took now; a deeper, more spiritual part of him was wounded and gradually bleeding to death._

_He felt strong, secure hands grab his midsection and stop his rapid descent. The seeker was faintly aware of his feet hitting the hard ground. His rescuer laid him on the ground like a delicate doll. Whoever this was, was consciously aware of his damaged parts. He opened his mouth to speak, but the mech beat him to it. "I got ya, Screamer," Skywarp informed._

"_Where's Thundercracker?" he croaked._

_There was a long or short, he didn't really know, elapse of time where there was no sound. "Cracker's not comin', Screamer," he answered somberly. "Not this time." The ebon' mech's released his grip on his brother. He briefly stared down at Starscream. Energon trickled from his wings, forming a puddle beneath his metal body. Smoke ominously lifted from the burnt marks on his body. He pulled his optics away from his brother. Skywarp couldn't stand to look at his fallen brother._

"_Don't leave me!" he cried pathetically. "Warp!"_

"_I'm sorry, Screamer," Skywarp spoke unsympathetically. "But you're on your own this time." _

_He heard his brother's boom and then nothing more. Starscream rolled his head over to the side. He coughed out energon, but it felt much more than it. His spark turned over onto itself, creating a massive surge through his circuits. The mech's body convulsed violently. He had never felt so vulnerable or so lonely. He was on his own._

_The ground trembled beneath him as the decepticon forces marched towards their fallen ex-leader. 'Don't let me die, Primus,' he begged. 'I can still succeed! I just need someone on my side to see what I am doing.' "Please, I want to live," he breathed before losing his grip on the world._

_

* * *

_

* * *

He woke from his memory with a great sense of disappointment in his spark. He focused his optics on his slippery, wet cockpit. Inside he could see Annabelle sleeping comfortably against the seat. Her chest rose and fell leisurely. To his satisfaction, she was oblivious to the world. He smiled. Starscream heaved a sigh; which produced an opaque cloud. The mech rested his hand protectively over his cockpit. It was a conscious action and one that he did not regret. As imperfect and irritating as the human could be she was the most valuable liability in his possession. Unlike the decepticons and autobots, she knew nothing of his past: other than small, insignificant pieces. Annabelle did not know the extent of his failures or how many promises he had broken in the past.

She was like a fresh beginning for him. She was young and new to this world, the perfect specimen for him to experiment on and control. The idea of this fresh start seemed unreal, but it was very real; in his eyes, it was a sign that Primus had answered his prayers. He was very sure now that she would help him regain his honor and recognition among his comrades.

Somewhere in between his thoughts, he had neglected to notice her eyes open. Anna blinked her dry eyes and rubbed her hand over them. She looked over at Starscream with hazy eyes. The human yawned while stretching her cramped legs. "What are you smiling at?" she asked groggily.

"You," he responded neutrally. She stared quizzically at him. "I was just thinking about how you slipped so easily into my life."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Annabelle inquired coldly.

"I haven't figured that one out yet," the mech answered frankly. "But I was thinking more about you and your current status as my slave." Annabelle stared irately at him for calling her a slave. He ignored her behavior, focusing on the topic. "Have you thought about my offer?"

"I don't like the idea of you being my decepticon guardian," she spat.

"I never said I would be your guardian," he retorted. "I said I would be your mentor into your true world." Annabelle looked away, her anger beginning to boil into her throat, where a tight knot was forming. She breathed heavily on the glass. The seeker flew lower into the cloud cover.

They were silent for precisely two minutes, six seconds, before Starscream faintly muttered; "I could be your guardian, if that's what you want."

Anna's body relaxed and the tension flowed out of her. She was still, silent as she tried to find a motive for his last statement. She found several motives for it, all of which were unpleasant. She looked in his direction for an answer, but in the thick clouds, she could only make out the faint outlines of his optics. "Why would you give me the choice?" the human asked bluntly.

"Unlike the autobots, I want to make peace with you, have you be an ally – teammate," he explained gently. "I don't want to force you into something if you don't want it; that would be ignorant and disrespectful."

"But you're a decepticon," she argued.

"I'm only a decepticon because they are the winning side," he said. "If I knew the autobots would be victorious, then I would've sided with them." He paused, trying to go slow for the human's sake. "So what will it be?"

"I don't know," she replied quietly. "What do you think about it?"

"I'd like to prove to you that the autobots have painted a very different and gruesome picture of us, compared to what we truly are," Starscream revealed. "If it takes being your guardian to prove that, then I will be your guardian."

"I mean, what are your feelings about it?" Anna clarified.

"Why are you so concerned about my view on it?" the seeker asked.

"Well, if we are going to be a team, then I don't want to force you to be something you don't want to be," the human said. "That would make us an ineffective team, and I figure we have so much going against us, that we need to reduce butting heads as much as possible." She hesitated, trying to hold back the urge to humiliate him. "I don't want to be even grouchier than you already are. 'Cause when you're grouchy, then I get the brunt of your bad attitude. Besides, the last thing you need is to be watching out for a silly fleshy. "

He grinned at her logic for she was started to think plans through more thoroughly. He was disappointed at how she thought of him, even slightly insulted, but he tried to let it roll off his processors. She was only a silly fleshy and didn't understand the stress he had to endure day in and day out. "You are a silly fleshy," Starscream concurred. "But for the moment you are a nice distraction from my duties. If you play your cards right, you might even become an asset."

She folded her good arm across her chest. Annabelle was trying to act aloof and get away from their current conversation. The human loathed how he talked to her as if she were an object and not an intellectual creature that could comprehend situations. She huffed loudly.

"You think I am doing this for something," the seeker continued. "When in fact I'm offering this because I want to."

"What?" she blurted out. They dropped below the cloud layer, giving Annabelle the chance to stare into his optics. He looked warmly back at her. Anna was memorized by the perkiness of his optics, and had they not been red, then she swore she was staring into an autobot's noble eyes. "Why though?"

"Why not?" he responded with a sleazy smile.

"You're too happy for this to be something good," the human accused.

"You need to learn to trust people," Starscream pointed out.

"I'm sitting in the cockpit of someone that killed me," Anna spat.

The seeker snapped his head back, closing his optics tightly. The cockpit creaked as his squeezed his hand, but carefully enough not to shatter the glass. Anna cowered, slinking as far down into the cockpit as possible. "I made a mistake," he said in a strained voice "I acknowledge that. I do not need your constant retorts to remind of it." Annabelle dreaded the silence that fell over them.

"Twenty-two," she murmured. "I . . . " The human's voice failed her. He lifted his head up, glowering at her with frustration. Anna realized that it wasn't so much what she said that irritated him but how she stood in the way of his perfect plans, and she assumed that she was just another one of the masses that stood in front of him. It suddenly became apparent to her what he was asking of her: he wanted someone on his side – some that he could dominate without worry of treachery. The seeker was too arrogant to say it directly; which Annabelle didn't blame him.

"Just say, "yes" already, Annabelle," he breathed tiredly.

"On two conditions," she countered. He looked gravely at her, considering what she said carefully. "You can be my guardian if you will be my mentor." The seeker nodded, his expression softening at the first condition. "Second, you will never address me as any derogatory name in public. You will only use my human name in private quarters where no one else will hear it."

"Why are you so concerned about your name?" he inquired sourly. "It's just a name."

"And it's the only thing I have left," Annabelle countered. "It's something I want to keep to myself 'cause it's special."

The mech rolled his eyes, shacking his head at her funny condition. "Fine," Starscream agreed. "But what will I call you then?"

She smiled weakly in his direction. In the dim sunlight, her hazel eyes a lit with hope that maybe this teamwork relationship could actually word; if it did, then she would be able to relax much easier in both his and other decepticons' presences. "Slipstream," Anna answered.

"Slipstream," he mused, trying the name out. "You couldn't have picked something better?"

"Well, your name isn't exactly great either," she replied bitterly. "It makes you sound like you are some hooker."

He rolled his optics. "On Cybertron, there is nothing that could be considered a hooker," the seeker informed. "We don't pleasure ourselves the same way."

"Just _stop_," Anna said flatly. She placed her hands over her ears and closed her eyes.

"Stop acting like a child," Starscream huffed. "It isn't anything like humans do." Annabelle was doing her best to block him out by saying, "_La, la, la,la_" over and over again. He growled hot air onto his cockpit, making it fog. "You already saw a mild forms of it," he said hastily. The human abruptly stopped and looked at him with wide, disgusted eyes. "When Jetfire went through my systems to analyze the problem or when Thundercracker uploaded the new systems; that's when you saw it."

"That wasn't anything," she argued. "That was they just fixing your systems."

"It was also a mild form of interfacing," he claimed. The human stared at him, somewhat curious now. "Interfacing is when you allow another Cybertronian to explore your systems without fighting them. It is generally revered as a sign of great trust. You are exposing them to your raw or true self. In the more extreme cases, you form a connection with them during interfacing so that you can share your raw thoughts or emotions with them. It's more like a deeper but out-dated level of communication than anything."

"That doesn't sound bad at all," she muttered.

"It's nothing compared to what humans do."

"How do – "

"Too much information on your species is a _bad_ thing," he said curtly. She apparently found the uncomfortable tone of his voice funny because she giggled. He rolled his eyes, snorting at her giggles. "I don't recall my discomfort being comedy," he said sarcastically.

"You missed that meeting, Twenty-two," Anna said coolly. "Apparently you overslept or something." He scrutinized her, even glaring at her, but not even his worse face could silence her giggles. The human visibly winced when her laughter shot pain through her torso, but she didn't care, especially when her laughter came at the expense of his misery. "Owe," she muttered in between breaths. "Owe, owe, owe!" She grabbed the side of her chest in a poor attempt to stop herself from laughing, but the seeker's stern face prevented her from succeeding. "I wish you could see your face," she managed to breath. "It's funny as hell."

"You aren't pretty either, Annabelle," Starscream commented. The human immediately became silent, slightly sulking at his reply. She pursed her lips angrily, wrinkling her nose in the process. He was offended by her sensitiveness. For several moments he wondered if she would try to break through the cockpit in order to "bitch" slap him across the face. Something remarkable happened instead; she broke into a grin, laughing. The strangest sensations overcame him: laughter, joy, and light-heartedness. They were laughing at each other's superficial imperfections, at the reality that neither of them would ever have enough to courage to admit how much they were entranced and fascinated by the other's appearance.

In the midst of their brief joy, Starscream neglected to pay attention to his short range detection systems, and showed no concern when a low flying, Russian Sukhoi T-50 fighter jet spotted them. The pale pilot inside the cockpit stared intently at the flying rock without so much as batting an eye. "I've got him in my sights," he reported over the frequency. "He apparently has someone with him, but I cannot make out the suspect."

"Suspect?" questioned the other end. "I think you mean victim?"

"No," corrected the brown haired man. He strained his gray eyes to see the other human, but the giant's hands blocked out the view. He frowned. "It's a suspect because he's laughing – if you can call that laughing – with the person."

"Report back to base before he spots you, Novikov," his superior ordered.

"Yes, Sir," addressed the pilot. He veered right, out of sight of the beast and human. No matter the distance, his mind still trailed back to the human; he couldn't out maneuver his fear that the person inside the alien's cockpit would end up in their military morgue very soon.

* * *

There was this feeling of apprehension that gripped at one's motion sensors; even though you thought there was nothing there. The air would go still like when one stood on a frozen asteroid, yet you could swear you could feel the heat of a newborn sun pressing against your back, charring your circuits like a marshmallow on a camp fire. These were the feelings that gripped Barricade just before something – more like someone – showed up from out of no where – literally. Skywarp emerged from his violet wormhole, caring himself like a god. The scout rolled his eyes and focused his attention on the lone, albino wolf. A pack of gray, slightly brown tinted family members stood at a distance from him with watchful, golden eyes.

"Look at that loser," Skywarp commented. He pointed with a single finger towards the albino wolf.

"It's not a loser," Barricade corrected. "It's a survivor. Its life would have been so much harder for it because it stood out. Of them all, it is the strongest because it has lived the hardest life."

"It may be stronger because it took the hardest path, but that won't make a difference in the end," the ebon' seeker concluded. "Because in the end, it will always be the first to die." He turned his head to see Barricade looking at the wolf with sympathetic lies. "That's how it is, Barricade. You may be the strongest, but if you stand out, then you'll be the first to fall."

"Is that what happened to Starscream on Cybertron?" he asked.

Skywarp looked away, but it couldn't take away the burning sensation the scout's gaze was creating. "Yes," he admitted quietly.

"The mech is stupid for wanting to go back into that political hellhole," Barricade criticized. He sighed, watching as the wolves trotted back into the forest, eventually disappearing into the forest's shadows. "No offense but under Shockwave's control, we were doing well. The majority of decepticons respects him, and well, Starscream isn't. He's a failure."

"He won't stop until he succeeds," the seeker said. "His failures only fuel his determination."

"Then he's going to kill himself," the mech said logically.

"Only after he kills all of us first," Skywarp said coolly. He bowed his head to his chest. "If killing all of us meant proving himself right, then Starscream would accept that trade in half a nanosecond." Barricade held his mouth tightly and stared at the 'con with still, ominous eyes. "But under his reign, we saw life." Skywarp looked towards Barricade with hopeful eyes. "Teecee says he may kill us in the process of redeeming himself, but in the end, he will revive all of us. He will breathe life into our race again. He can make us whole."

"Do you seriously believe that bullshit?" Barricade asked coldly.

"No," he said bluntly. "And neither does Teecee, but it's a nice thought."

"Nice thoughts get you killed," the scout said shortly.

"I know," the mech answered indifferently. "But so does standing going rogue." He swerved on his heels, aiming his rapid firing gun at something white. The curious, albino wolf didn't have enough time to yelp before it fell to the ground lifeless. A dangerously satisfactory smirk spread across the mech's face. Behind the gleaming red optics was pure blackness, an absence of morals and values. It was that lack of humanity that enraged Barricade. He faced Barricade, raising his gun at his comrade. "Does Optimus know about you, Mirage?" he asked darkly. "Or were you doing this on your own?"

"Does it really matter?" he asked emotionlessly.

"It'll decide whether I kill you quickly or let you suffer slowly," the seeker hissed.

He chuckled darkly. "Now why do you think you have the advantage here?" Mirage inquired arrogantly.

"Because I can teleport," Skywarp boasted. "I can disappear."

"Oh," the autobot said sarcastically, trying to sound surprised. He pressed his fingers against his chin thoughtfully while blinking his optics. "I could swear I could disappear too." Mirage's lips pulled into an eager smile. His body's color faded gray for a moment before disappearing entirely. "See what I mean?" he whispered.

Skywarp's wings bristled and he stumbled backwards into an evergreen. His optics searched back and fourth for a sign of the autobot, but he could not find one nor could his systems detect his signature. The mech, too proud to runaway, drew out his energon-fueled sword. "Come out you coward!" he screamed. "Face me like a real mech!" Skywarp's frightened optics frantically and hopelessly longed to find a trace of the autobot, but there was none. Mirage was gone.

Or so he thought for two more seconds. A crackling pain shot from his back, forcing him to arch his back. He went to scream but the seeker couldn't force a single audible sound from his vocal processors. He was frozen with pain. The autobot slid his flawless sword upwards, cutting through the thick armor like a spoon cuts through melting ice cream on a sultry summer day. As he removed the sword, the seeker crumpled to his feet. Energon poured from the open wounds, creating an eerie glowing puddle. Mirage knelt down, placing an assuring hand on the seeker's shoulder. "I'll make you a deal, old sport," the autobot proposed. "If you can make it out of these forests before I can kill you, I'll let you have your life for one more day. Should I catch up to you, well, you know what will happen."

Skywarp's optics pleaded for mercy but Mirage was either oblivious to it or chose to ignore them like the aristocrat he was. "And to make this an interesting experience," he added on in that silky smooth, money filled voice. "Let's see how well you do when you are taken out of your comfort zone."

The seeker, for a brief moment, saw the unbearable bright light instead of feeling the pain. His systems registered the devastating news, informing him that he should be in an ungodly amount of pain, but he was numb. Skywarp felt like a third person, observing this from a different perspective. "Now run, my little turbofox," Mirage said encouragingly. "Run."

Skywarp scrambled to his feet, literally searching for the ground. His feet carved a perfect trail through the forest. He attempted to teleport out of the forest, and in a flash he saw the god forsaken violet light, but it was short lived. The light retreated before he reached it and then, he heard his systems confirm the 'thump' he heard. The seeker landed on his side, tearing off his arm in the process. He should've grabbed it so that Teecee could've have reattached it later, but Skywarp was too concerned for his spark. He collected himself the best he could and charged into the forest. The trees snapped beneath his body like twigs.

The mech left behind the best parts of himself: his wings and stupid courage.

Mirage stood there, taking aim at the decepticon. They both knew what came next.


	21. Chapter 21

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

* * *

**A/N:** I've had this chapter stuck in my head for months! I'm so glad that I finally got to write it! :D

**Pairings:** Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide

**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers © Hasbro.

* * *

Annabelle braced herself for a hard, jerky landing. She pressed her head into the seat so that she wouldn't be tempted to watch as he toppled to the ground. The trees snapped out of the seeker's way, falling to the ground in a bundle of crackling and thumping. Their leaves moaned in the metal-made breeze. The seeker's engines deactivated, leaving only an ominous silence. She peered over her shoulder to see they had landed, flawlessly. Cold winds burst into the cockpit as he grabbed her. She hugged her torso tightly and instantly wished to return to his warm, 76 degree Fahrenheit cockpit.

She glanced up, hoping to see a break in the clouds, but there was no relief in sight. A cold wind rustled the pines and moved over the grass, commanding it to sway like waves on her pond at home. Cowardly birds flew away from the disturbance. The forest held its breath. Even the mightiest of predators were humbled at the sight of Starscream.

He broke the silence when he spoke, "Don't fight what I'm about to do – it'll keep you safe while we are here." He pulled out from a compartment above his cockpit a new set of clothes. He dropped the skinny jeans, royal purple turtle, and black high heel boots at her feet. "I made sure Barricade got the right size."

She lifted up one of the boots, immediately thinking how much it would hurt to where them in this unruly terrain. "You can't expect to wear this?" she said, holding the boot to him. "Unless you plan on carrying me all the way there."

"You're a light enough thing that I can carry you without any problems," he answered bluntly. "Now go ahead and change into the clothes."

"No," she snapped. "I am not changing clothes in front of you."

"Then I'll do it for you," Starscream growled.

"_NO_!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "I refuse to have some sexual predator undress me and redress me like I'm some sort of Barbie doll." She slid out of the overly large cargo pants. Anna glanced down at her bare legs, sickened by rough edge of her unshaven legs. She quickly collected the dark skinny jeans and pulled them over her legs. The human reached for the high-class boots. She examined the four-inch heel before sliding her feet into them. She hit a snag, literally. Annabelle had begun to pull the turtle neck over her neck when she realized – remembered – that she would look like a fool since her arm was still bandaged to her chest. She looked to Starscream, who was smirking at the circumstances like – like he had planned it. She narrowed her accusing gaze on him.

"Need some help?" he asked in a voice that sounded too innocent.

Anna turned her back to him. She slowly pulled her camis off and held them tightly in her freehand. "Just get it done and over with," she growled.

He glided his claw over of the bandages, causing her to shiver at their icy touch. "You know – " He sliced one bandage free. "On Cybertron, there is no such thing as sex or any translation for it into our language." The seeker carved his way through a few more bandages. Anna flinched s his claw rested against her back. "That's because there is no such thing as that in our race." He brought his mouth close to Annabelle's mouth and breathed, "So I cannot be a sexual predator." He cut through the last of the bandages.

She exhaled a deep, warm breath before filling her lungs with an extra large breath of cool air. Anna used her injured arms to cover her breasts as she tried to slip the camis back over her chest. She reached for the turtleneck and warily pulled it over the camis. The human bit down on her tongue in response to the shots of pain running through her chest and wrist. She threw her head over her shoulders, looking at him with a seething hate. "Happy now?" Annabelle questioned.

The decepticon placed her on the ground, carefully to set her on a dry patch of ground. "Almost," he responded. Starscream opened a hatch near the top of his wrist, releasing hundreds of tiny, hallow, ebon' orbs. They bounced to the ground and rolled to a stop. Anna reached down and grabbed one. It had a polished finish like a diamond and was as smooth as the slick surface of glass that had been sprayed with Windex. "I need that," he spoke matter-of-factly.

She was about to open her mouth and make a smart remark when the black orb rolled out her hands on its own – well under Starscream's command of course – free will. The ball joined the growing clump of orbs. They simultaneously cracked open to reveal miniature, transforming components. The components clicked together and formed two identical structures. It took Annabelle a moment to realize that they were feet, _human_ feet. She gawked as the orbs efficiently formed a six foot, two inches tall, gleaming humanoid. The figure's amber optics stared at her for a second, smirking like Starscream.

At once, the grey metal shifted, absorbing all the natural tones of a healthy tan. A perfectly ironed, navy United States Air Force uniform adorned his body. There was one flaw to the uniform. A patch on his arm that would represented his rank in the Air Force was replaced with the all too familiar NEST insignia. The thing raised his head – the head she had designed for Starscream's hologram – and eyed her. "It's just me," he spoke. "Starscream."

Annabelle moved hesitantly forward towards, entranced by the raw perfection of his symmetrical face. She stopped short of his chest. Even with her four-inch heels, she fell short of his height by a solid five inches. She brushed her skinny fingers against the rim of his hat. She drew in a breath but didn't exhale. It felt real! Anna pulled the hat off his head and drew it close to her chest.

"You won't find any flaws in it," the figurine informed.

She glanced up at him with the widest, more fascinated eyes he had ever seen. He loved how such a simple and outdated technology could intrigue her so much. He loved her attention. "How?" she asked.

He grabbed the hat from her and placed it atop her head. The holoform stepped forward into her space. Her eyes never left his, not even to see him snap a necklace onto her. "That's my little secret," the thing whispered into her ear. The holoform stepped backwards, giving the human a chance to see what he had placed on her.

Anna lifted the chain, almost afraid that she would break it if she applied too much pressure. Three colorless diamonds were suspended from the 18k white gold chain. They were perfectly circular without a flaw in or on them. She knew this was an expensive piece and wondered how Starscream acquired it. _'More like stole it,'_ she thought. Annabelle placed it carefully onto her shirt. She looked up to him. "Thank you," she said gratefully.

"I'm not done," he explained, his tone of voice resembling that of a young boy ready to show off his newest toy. The holoform grabbed her left hand tenderly so not to injure her sprained wrist. He raised it high enough so that she could see him slip a thick, white gold band onto her ring finger. "There," the figurine said. "I think it fits perfectly, don't you?"

She stared at the thick white band, watching the bloody purple diamonds glitter without the help of raw sunlight. The diamonds were outline in a thin, handsome yellow gold trim. She realized, as she stared at it greedily, that the diamonds were strategically placed to form a Cybertronian word: mine. The word was had such a simple but elegant design that border-lined beautiful. "It fits perfectly," she finally answered.

"Good," he spoke, his voice returning to its usual sour tone. "I was worried I had wasted all that time for nothing."

"So that's what you were doing when I was asleep," Anna surmised allowed. He nodded. "So do I get to know what we came all the way here for, Twenty-two?"

"My name isn't Twenty-two," the holoform informed sharply. He straightened himself out to become rigid. "It's Second Lieutenant Daine James Dagwood. And you are my fiancée, Annabelle."

"Won't I look a bit young to be with you?" she questioned.

"I think you'll do just fine," he answered. "You're only here for show anyway."

"Great," she muttered. "Now I'm some trophy wife."

"Trophy fiancée," Starscream corrected. She narrowed her gaze on him, pretending to burn him with her fake pyrokinesis powers. He moved towards her again (which disappointed her since she had faint hopes of burning him with her fake powers) and grabbed her. The holoform lifted her easily into her arms.

He briskly walked over the ground, careful to avoid the mud pits. Anna wrapped her arm around his neck, scared of falling down should he misplace a foot. "What about your other form?" she inquired, trying to find a better topic for them to discuss. .

"I'm still there," he explained. "I'm just putting my concentration into this holoform. " He ducked, avoiding a bare tree branch, and walked out of the view of his Cybertronian form. Anna looked forward at the endless row of trees and sighed. He glanced down, rolling his eyes. "What's your problem now?" he asked.

"I didn't say anything," she retorted.

"But you sighed," he insisted. "When you sigh, it's not a good sign."

"What are we doing here?" Annabelle questioned, changing topics.

He saw what she was doing but didn't resist, anything to keep them from arguing. "We came here to divide and conquer," he responded.

She leaned her head against his arm while watching him. "And you say I'm the one who's not up to any good," she chided. "So what does this holoform of yours have to do with it?"

"The Russian officials wouldn't appreciate it if I flew through Moscow in my bipedal form nor do I think they want their citizens to know that aliens are actually real," he explained. He shifted her weight slightly to put less pressure on her fractured ribs. "This form also provides protection since they won't know what my true form looks like. It's a disguise, Anna."

"But they know what you are?"

He nodded. "They know that I am a NEST agent who wants to cash in on a good secret, and they respect that. They invited me to attend a meeting that could benefit both of us should we work together. They promised me that I would get what I need," he added.

"And what would that be?" she asked, slightly sarcastic.

"The largest shard of the Allspark," Starscream informed. "I need it so that I can rebuild another New Allspark."

"And what do they want?"

"The autobots," the seeker answered blankly. "They want to dissect them so that they can learn about how our technology works."

Anna's heart sunk to the acid pit known as her stomach. She felt the acid begin to break it down. "They can't do that," she muttered. "You can't let that happen! They're my family!" He was silent, unmoved by her words. "Twenty-two!"

He looked down at her when she called his name. "I can only do so much, Anna," Starscream answered. "And that's one of the things I can't do. I wish I could, but I can't. Not now at least. After all, everything is fair in war." It amazed him how easily the lies trickled out of his mouth. "But if I can reclaim my spot as High Lord of the decepticons, then I can rebuild our spark. I can end this war so that you can see them." The seeker paused as he brought her close to his chest. She was close to crying, very close. "These are the last words you want to hear, but remember, they would take you away from all of this in a half a nanosecond. They don't want you to know that this is where you belong."

He emerged from the forest, behind a hotel. He walked coolly onto the sidewalk, stepping lightly over the cracks. They rounded the side of the dilapidated hotel where an ebony BMW and driver dressed in military clothes awaited them. Starscream placed her daintily onto the ground, holding by her arms to help steady her. "I need you to be strong," he whispered into her ears. "So that you can show them you belong in this world."

"Awe, Second Lieutenant Dagwood," greeted the driver in a thick Russian accent. He outstretched his hand to Starscream. "It's a pleasure to meet you." The seeker took his hand and shook it. "I was worried that something had happened when you didn't show up." The wrinkled man turned towards Annabelle and smiled warmly. "I didn't know you were bringing company."

"I'm terribly sorry about my lateness, General Arsov," he spoke in a voice that could melt chocolate. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. "But I took my fiancée on an early morning walk. She loves the woods." Starscream looked down at Annabelle with eyes soft enough that they appeared to be human; she realized why his eyes were so soft, it was a message. _'Don't let me down.'_

Anna smiled towards Starscream before directing her attention to the man. "It was the last minute thing," she answered. "I've never been to Russia and I didn't want to miss out on its beauty." She held out her hand and the general gave it a light kiss. Starscream tightened his grip on her waist. "I'm Olive-Ellen Aberdeen."

"Beautiful name, Miss Aberdeen," the gray hair man complimented. She noted how his breath smelled of cigarettes and alcohol. "It matches you perfectly." She blushed. "Where would your luggage be, Second Lieutenant?"

"They lost it," Starscream answered. "But I figure it gives Olive a chance to go shopping for both of us."

"My wife is the same way," he chuckled. General Arsov looked at his watch and added, "We'd best be going. My superiors don't want you to be late to the meeting." He opened the door where Annabelle slid onto the black leather interior. Starscream followed closely behind, only letting her out of his reach so that he could sit down.

The door closed behind them, making Annabelle flinch. The sound reminded her too much of what her ribs had sounded like when he had crushed her. An unfamiliar image in the rearview mirror caught her attention. A brunette with hazel eyes stared at her with her same shocked expression. She brought her hand to her head, watching the virtual image in the mirror to make sure it was really herself.

Another head butted into the picture, _his_. He pressed his warm cheek against her cheek, smiling happily at the image. The two in the rearview mirror looked like perfectly normal people. The contrast between his sandy hair and her dark auburn color was striking. They were the type of people that would be the role model couple for their community, but Annabelle knew the truth. Underneath this perfect exterior were two monsters: one made of metal, the other flesh. She and Starscream were the type of creatures that belonged together because they would turn on their family or kill someone to get what they wanted. It came down to one word: ruthless.

"I told you, you looked beautiful," Starscream complimented. He pressed his lips against her cheek, turning her cheeks tomato red. She wrapped her arm around his and concaved to his body. She rested her head on his broad shoulders before closing her eyes. The world suddenly felt like it was spinning out of control. Already nauseated from the thought of being on the same level as Starscream, the thought that she was the one setting all of this in motion was enough for her stomach to dangerously twist itself into a tighter knot. She curled her toes into his boots, thankful that Starscream couldn't see the full extend of her sudden illness.

"Is she going to be okay?" the general asked as he pulled out of the hotel's drive.

"She's just got a touch of the flu is all," Starscream dismissed. He took his free arm and gently rubbed her shoulder like he really cared. "It's okay," he murmured so low that only she could hear. "The feeling will pass."

She flicked her eyes towards him. Did he know what she was feeling? Had he experienced it himself when he realized how far off track he gotten or how he realized that he was really nothing but a subtler version of Megatron. "Why don't you go to sleep?" he suggested in a voice that cared. "You'll feel better."

Annabelle didn't believe sleep would help her feel better, not when she knew this path she was taking would lead her away from her family and force her to throw them out like they were garbage. But Anna knew what she was doing, and that made her a lower life form than Starscream. She was willingly gambling them for a slice of either heaven or hell.

* * *

* * *

She recalled him placing his head on top of hers while he talked with the driver of things that didn't really exist; such as what college this Olive had attended and what her major was in, what they (Daine and Olive) planned on doing after he retired from the service, or if they would ever have kids (which Starscream had answered with a strong "_no_"). What Anna couldn't remember was how she had gotten onto this fluffy, oh-so comfortable bed. Her body sank into the soft mattress without any resistance.

Anna breathed into the pillow, wrapping her arms around it like a favorite stuffed animal. The pillow smelled of lilac flowers in bloom and comforted her. The smell reminded her of the springtime at the Lennox household. The air conditioners were replaced with open windows and wind. The house would smell like the wilderness and instill restlessness in her heart. Lilacs represented the end of the school year and the beginning of sweet summer freedom.

"You're awake."

The voice caught her off-guard. She jolted into a sitting position and would have head butted Starscream had he not moved out of her way. The human placed her hands beneath her as she swayed. She could feel the room begin to spin. Starscream placed a hand on her arm, alerting her to the fact he was calling her name.

"Anna," he spoke slowly. She looked hazily at him, trying to focus on him and not the bending walls. She reached out for him as she began to lose her balance. The seeker grabbed her by her biceps, lowering her safely onto the bed. "You need to lie down." He pried her trembling, clammy fingers off himself and reached for something on the nightstand.

It was a Coka Cola with a purple bendy straw and god it looked like a slice of heaven right now.

He brought it close enough that she could smell its sweetness. "Can you stomach this?" the holoform asked seriously. "Or do I need to call the nurse so that she can give you a short for your low blood sugar?"

She must have made some motion because he brought it to her mouth so that she could slurp the cool, refreshing drink. It slid down her dry throat like an eel but somehow it was a good feeling. Within a few more seconds, the soda was gone, emptied of its contents. Starscream placed it on the nightstand before looking over her. He had stripped the turtleneck off of her turtleneck after she had complained of being too hot and had a bag of ice sitting on the nightstand in case she wanted it.

Starscream placed a hand on her shoulder. She was still damp. Anna looked up at him with those hazy eyes. "How'd I get here?" she asked meekly.

He stroked her arm sympathetically. This was his fault that she was in this un-well state. Had he remembered to give her water and feed her, then this would've been avoided. Starscream sighed. He'd have to remember next time. "You complained that you were ill in the car. When we arrived here, you tried to get up but nearly collapsed. I carried you up the stairs since the elevators were packed, and I didn't want them to see you were in a stupor," he explained. "I brought you up in time so that you could use the toilet – "

"That's why my mouth tastes funny," she said aloud.

Starscream nodded. "I put you on the bed while I went to get you a few supplies, and then waited for you to wake up." His voiced died as he stared at her. He didn't want to admit that he had failed as her guardian and it hadn't even been three hours, but by the look in her eyes, she didn't know he had failed. All she knew was that he had helped her. To her, he had fulfilled his job. That approval alone was enough to wipe away his resentment towards himself. "Do you feel better?"

"A little," she said.

"That's good," he murmured. Starscream lowered himself so that he lied comfortably next to her. He wrapped an arm around her, offering his warmth to her. Too tired to grab a pillow, Anna rested her head on his chest. He turned on the television and tuned in immediately to Nickelodeon. An old rerun of the first episode of Spongebob Squarepants was playing.

"I haven't watched Spongebob since I was little," Anna muttered. "It brings back old memories." The television screen played off her eyes. The image was clear enough that Starscream, if he wanted too, could watch the television show from her eyes.

"It's amazing what triggers our memories," the seeker commented.

"What happened to the meeting the officials?" she inquired.

"I postponed it," he answered. "I told them you wanted me to stay because you were scared that you would faint. After all, you are my fiancée, and it's my job to take care of you." He affectionately kissed on her crown. Her hair smelled of energon, snow, and him. He thought of it as a nice combination, especially the smelling of him part. "In sickness and in health."

She fought against her cheeks flushing but they continued to turn beat red. "We aren't married yet," the human reminded coldly.

"I could arrange for us to go to Las Vegas if that would please you," he said calmly.

Anna stared blankly at him before the light bulb lit up. "Is that supposed to be a joke, Twenty-two?" she asked.

"It was more like a suggestion," Starscream clarified.

"Do me a favor," Anna stated in a sour voice. "Don't _ever_, as in forever, mention that again."

He rolled his eyes away from her but they came full circle to rest on her again. "I saw your cheeks flush in the car," he spoke to her softly. "So you can't tell me that you didn't enjoy me doting on you." He pressed his head against hers and took another deep breath of her hair. "Besides," he whispered. "You saw what I did in that rearview mirror; we matched perfectly."

That last sentence was enough for her stomach to do an encore. It tumbled over itself, bringing with it a new wave of nausea. "Go screw yourself," she hissed. Anna rolled over onto her side, not thinking about her fractured ribs. To avoid whimpering, she bit down on her tongue.

"Miss Independent is a coward and doesn't like admitting she has emotions," Starscream said smugly. He leaned over her, placing an arm on either side of her so that she couldn't roll away. "If it makes you feel any better, I feel the same way."

"Oh you, must mean that disgusted feeling that I feel whenever I have to think about sharing my life with you," Anna snarled ruthlessly. She spat into his eye, hitting her target. "We work purely as a team and nothing more."

"You're lucky that you're human," the seeker informed. "Or else I'd kill you for that insult."

"What's stopping you?" she asked.

He pulled away from her and wiped away her saliva. She was indeed the feistiest native he had met on this planet and perhaps Cybertron. He grabbed his hat from the natural oak wood desk and placed it atop his head like it were some sort of crown. "Because this is a fate worse than death," Starscream informed matter-of-factly. The seeker dropped one of those black orbs on the desk before moving towards the door. He stepped half way out the door when he turned to face her. "Now why don't you order some food and watch that brain poison you called television for a little while. Then maybe take a bath. That should make you feel better."

The door was almost closed when Anna meekly yelled out his name. He stuck his head through the door, looking at her with genuine concern in his eyes. Was it the guilt for putting her through this or having to leave her in this condition to meet his second-in-command that brought on his compassion? "What?" he asked roughly.

"Will the feeling pass?" she asked.

"The nausea will pass soon enough," Starscream answered bluntly.

"I'm not talking about that," Anna clarified.

He stepped into the room again and closed the door behind him. Something in her eyes said this was more than low blood sugar. The seeker assumed it was the same thing that was eating at her mind when they had been in the car. He sat on the bed at her feet, giving her his full attention.

She slowly propelled herself into a sitting position. The human stared into the holoform's eyes and wondered if someday she would become a hollow shell like it. She wondered if someday this would all become a disguise to hide her true self. She wondered if that was all Starscream was, a hollow shell. "When won't I feel like a monster?" Anna asked softly, in a voice that said she was ashamed.

He pulled off her shoes to buy some time. "I can't promise you that the feeling will pass," he finally spoke. "But hopefully you'll learn to ignore it in time."

"Is that what you do?" she asked.

He looked up and stared into her eyes. They were the key to the soul, or so said a few humans. Maybe if he looked long enough he would jiggle the lock open and see her soul, but the door remained locked for today. "I have too," Starscream admitted. "Or else it would consume me. I'd become something no better than Skywarp." He placed the shoes neatly on the white carpet. He sighed. "We're all monsters in this war, Anna. Each and every single one of us has one inside of us, even Ratchet. It's how well you hide it that matters."

Starscream stood up. He suddenly wished he had ignored Anna's call. Topics like this were too personal for his good; they made him feel weak like a failure. He gently took Anna's chin and raised it up so that she had to stare into his eyes. He wanted her to believe what he said without question. "But you aren't a monster, Anna," he comforted. "And don't let anyone tell you any differently. It's just your unfortunate luck that you have to live in a world full of monsters."

"I didn't need an elaborate explanation," Anna stated.

"I know," he spoke. "I'm just letting you know because sometimes I forget to hide my monster." He took his hand away from her head, turned around, and left the room without saying another word.

* * *

* * *

Thundercracker, finally exhausted from their small talk, was contently watching a school of fish continually avoid the hungry seal. Their silver scales twinkled likes stars against the dark blue depths. The deep, rich blue contrasted the flawless white. Their cool colors calmed his circuits and gave him room to reflect on the land. Up here, everything seemed so clearer. The sunlight that illuminated the land was bright like the lights in Koan. Even the air felt cleaner, refreshing like a cool shower. A place like this was frozen in time and a mech could lose his mind in the peaceful silence. From here, it felt like the war was a distant, forgotten memory. It was the most wonderful feeling he had felt these past years. But like this was only a temporary state. His pessimistic mind drew him back to the reality that he would have to return to the war and return to the warm colored battlefields.

Instead of blue lakes, there would be streams of purple energon dripping through the cracks. The ground creak underneath their feet and the buildings above would moan before they collapsed. Their backs would be pressed against the walls as they tried to calculate their next move. At the time, shots would fire above their heads, perhaps striking an unlucky soldier in the head. The clock would tick too quickly and Thundercracker would find himself being shoved into battle without being able to think he next move through. The military programs would command him and guide him through the maze of obstacles. There he had enough time to dodge one bullet only to eat the next one. In that world, the one that he loathed, a mech didn't feel anything. A mech lived as a hollow shell and did what he could to stay alive. The soldier would repeat that cycle over and over until the war ended, and then the cycle would be broken.

'_Or would it?'_ he thought bitterly.

He knelt down along the iceberg's ledge and dipped his fingers into the water. Thundercracker lazily watched the ripples and counted the rings one action produced. He bowed his head to his chest. _'And to think of all the ripples we've created,'_ he reflected. _'The water will never be still again.' _He pulled his hand of the water and rested it on his knee. His optics stared blankly at the fish retreated for the last time into the murky depths. He sighed. Now he'd have to find some other form of entertainment because he found his own thoughts too depressing.

The crunching of snow echoed loudly over this frozen plains, and to his dismay, meant Jetfire was approaching. He focused harder on the fish, hoping Jetfire could read the signs. Thundercracker's wings bristled and he hunched over. "What do you want, Jetfire?" he said, trying to control the emotions in his voice, but it came out more like a growl.

Jetfire stopped short of five feet from his superior. The mech stared at the water, trying to figure out what Thundercracker was glaring at. He knelt beside Thundercracker, mimicking his pose. "You'll watched out for her, won't you?" he asked.

"Why would I do that?" the blue seeker retorted.

"Because I'll do the same for you," he answered. "I can keep an eye on 'Warp should he run into trouble with one of the autobots.

Thundercracker stared at Jetfire for what he was. This was a mech who belonged to this frozen land, because he too was frozen in time. The 'bot, no matter how many times Thundercracker had to remind him, would never draw his weapon until he was fired upon first, and then, he only fired in defense, never offense. Jetfire judged a Cybertronian by their personality and not their faction. He still had his trust in people, a trait Thundercracker envied. Jetfire, simply put, was an open book. A few pages were smeared because of what his superior's had forced him to do, but he was still innocent Jetfire. A little more scared and a bit wiser, but he was still himself.

Energy drained from his circuits when he realized Jetfire's face was unusually grave. "Where is he?" the second-in-command demanded in a weak voice. "What happened to him?" He grabbed the mech his shoulders and searched his optics for answers.

Jetfire was taken back by Thundercracker's shacking. "He's in Russia," the mech answered. "He had a run in with Mirage. If you go now, you'll find him alive."

"Now?" he croaked. "What the hell happened to him?" The snow flew into the air and ice cracked when he pinned Jetfire to the ground. He held his null ray to his head and threatened to blow Jetfire's processors sky high. "I want answers you li'l two faced, traitor!" His voice was desperate and full of weakness, but he could care less. The seeker's mind was focused on his injured bond-mate, and if he had to, he'd hack into Jetfire's systems to get the coordinates and details about the incident.

"Mirage came after him," Jetfire answered. "He shot Skywarp down before hacking into his systems. The autobots know about everything."

The decepticon punched Jetfire in the face, knocking out an optic. "How could you let this happen?" Thundercracker snarled. "You are on our side! Your job is to prevent this kind of thing from occurring! Have the autobots finally gotten to you, Jetfire?"

The ebon' mech, shoved the seeker off of him. Jetfire grabbed Thundercracker by his arms and pulled him down to the ground. He might not have had the dangerous weapons his superior had, but he had size on his side and that's all he needed to pin the seeker in a vulnerable position. "I told you once that I'm not a decepticon," he declared. "I am not an autobot either." He applied more pressure to the struggling seeker. "I'm only on this side to protect my brother and sister. If that means taking over your position through violent means, then I will do so."

Thundercracker went still at Jetfire's livid words. The 'bot's blue optics were ablaze with devotion and logical thinking, and they were the same optics that belonged to a killer. "I could have let Mirage kill him," Jetfire informed. "But I told him to spare Skywarp because I know he is your bond-mate. I believe that bond-mates should be spared, and I would want you to do the same thing for me." The mech loosened his grip on the decepticon. "Now I'm going to give you the coordinates to Skywarp's location and you're going to go there. Is that understood, Thundercracker?"

He nodded meekly.

"Good," he huffed roughly. Jetfire pulled Thundercracker to his feet. "He's forty miles north of Chita, Russia, in a forest. You should have no problem locating him."

"Locating who?" sneered Starscream. He transformed in the air, extending his legs in time to catch his fall. The ice splintered and grumbled under the additional weight. He looked suspiciously at Jetfire's hanging optic. "What the hell happened to you?" Immediately he turned to Thundercracker, who looked ruffled.

"Training accident," the ebon' mech answered. "That's all."

"I have to go," the blue seeker interjected. "Skywarp is injured and needs my medical assistance." He looked unconfidently at Starscream and shot a glare at Jetfire. _'Don't say a word about what happened,' _he said silently. "I will talk to you later, Lord Starscream." He shot into the sky and out of hearing range. The seeker would leave Jetfire to tell their leader the bad news; it was, after all, Jetfire's fault.

Starscream hardly noticed Thundercracker's absence. All his focus was on his brother. "Care to explain?" the seeker asked crossly. "Or will I have to extract the answer the old fashion way."

He looked away from his brother. Jetfire didn't want to justify his actions with a lie. He was sick of lies. "We need to talk," he said with little emotion. "Now." His optics were transfixed on the rabbit's foot. '_Must've fallen out in our fight.'_ He bent down and delicately picked it up. Jetfire's optics never moved from it. "Beginning with Anna," he stated with an absolute tone.

* * *

* * *

His hand rested on the brass doorknob. He pressed his head against brown door, knocking his hat off in the process. The smell of grilled food filtered through the door, creating a second barrier, more potent barrier. Sounds of the television reverberated into his audio sensors. She was blissfully unaware that anything was wrong, and more than likely, enjoying her time alone. Starscream twisted the door hand but couldn't find the strength to push the door open. Why should he open the door when he knew he would be greeted with a scowl and nasty welcome message? The 'con bent down and collected his hat.

Starscream's grip on the doorknob turned into a strangle hold. The skin his forehead twitched. It was dawning on him how much he was regretting the group of fools that dared call themselves decepticons. He could his internal pressure rise to a dangerous level, but the warning signs did little to diminish his bad mood. He snorted, disgusted with the news. Even through this body he could feel his spark twist and squirm uncomfortably in his Cybertronian body. An audible growl ricocheted off the walls, and a small child passing by duck behind his mother's leg.

"What's his problem?" asked one of her girlfriends, her voice not at all subtle.

He wanted runaway and fly into the sky and never return. It took the last of his patience not to snap around and break the human's head off. _'What's wrong is that everything has gone to hell in a hand basket!'_ he screamed to himself. _'And no ne but me seems to give a fuck about it._' God dammit, he wanted to go slam his fist into the nearest wall. Maybe he could sneak out for quick flight and burn a few trees to the ground. After all, what harm could be done? Annabelle wouldn't notice if he didn't return for a few more hours.

He turned around to follow through his plan, only to discover his hand wouldn't leave the doorknob. "Fuck me," Starscream muttered. _'Stupid glitchy holoform doesn't fucking work.'_ But his hand's grip eased as he pushed the door open. _'Might as fucking well.'_ With a big breath of air, he closed the door behind him with ease.

Annabelle was sprawled onto the bed, dressed in a daisy white robe. The sunlight passed through the open windows where it played off her brunette hair. Her happy eyes were transfixed on the television. An equally happy smile spread across her lips as she laughed at comedic part of the movie. Lying beside her was an empty plate with a few bites of a cheeseburger left and some cold french-fries. She scooped a spoonful of strawberry flavored ice cream into her mouth. His eyes drifted to the nightstand where a bundle of orchids had found their perfect place in the world.

He glanced into the humid bathroom. Her clothes and wet towels were scattered over the beige Italian marble. A blow dryer and used toothbrush were neatly tucked away in the corner of the ebon' counter. Starscream stared at the mirror and grinned. Cutely written, Anna had scribbled in Cybertronian: "_You were right. I do look good as a brunette_." Underneath it was silly smiley face. He switched the light off and indirectly cut off all energy to his anger.

He had been right and she acknowledged it. _'At long last.'_

Starscream set the two bags he was carrying down onto the beige and white Victorian style bedspread. Annabelle paused the movie and rolled onto her back. A group of pillows support her like the back of a chair. She didn't cross her arms; which he took as a sign that his human was in a decent mood.

"I saw your message," he said objectively.

"Did you now?" she said. "I wasn't sure you'd see it." Anna looked to the bags curiously. "What's in the bags?"

He handed the Express bag over to her. "I had them pick out a few outfits for you," Starscream explained. The human pulled out an electric blue cow neck sweater. She held it over her chest, imagining how it would be on herself. "I only picked things that would compliment your figure." She looked unconvinced at him. "Believe me."

"I'll give you the benefit of the doubt since you were right about the hair," she replied. Anna folded the shirt up neatly before sticking it into the bag. "How are you affording this?" she asked suspiciously. "I don't want to end up in jail and washing dishes."

Starscream chuckled. "I have my ways," he said smugly. He shoved the other bag – she couldn't read it since it was in Russian – towards her. "Now why don't you change into some pajamas? Then we'll finish watching the movie." Her stare was perplexing, and to avoid it, the seeker searched for the purple Hello Kitty theme pajamas. He pulled them out of the bag, offering them to her, but Anna was still staring at him. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," she responded insensitively. "_You_." The human leaned forward to look for something that wasn't there. "I think you should run a diagnostics test because you're being too nice."

He frowned. "I'm trying to compromise," Starscream said flatly.

"Well excuse me, for suggesting something could be wrong," Anna retorted. "You aren't exactly the compromising 'con." She jerked the pajamas out of his hands. She walked hastily to the bathroom, mumbling incoherent remarks about him to herself. He glared at her the entire way and continued to glare even after she had disappeared out of his sights.

He pressed his back against the headboard and redirected his focus on the beige curtains. They shuffled in the light wind. Starscream looked into the next room, examining the fruit bowl on the glass table. He studied the intricate wallpaper and analyzed how it made the rooms feel smaller. His eyes fell onto a small piece paper blowing across the floor. The mech walked into the next room and gruffly picked it up. He crumpled the corners of the paper without knowing it. He flipped it over and recognized it as Annabelle's handwriting.

_Dear Mom,_

_I'm alive. I'm writing from Moscow, Russia. I don't know how long I'll be here, but I don't think it'll be long. But I'm writing to you because I don't want you to worry about me. I'm a little scratched up but okay. Twenty-two is taking care of me and is doing a pretty good job at it. He's not like the autobots have portrayed him to be . . . but he is an asshole at times. He tries though to be good and that has to count for something. _

_You're going to hate me for this, but I need you to not worry about me. As crazy as this sounds, I need to go with him. I need to get away from our home for a little bit for my health. You may not understand it, but trust me; I know what I'm doing. I'll explain this later when I understand it myself. _

_I'll see you soon._

_Annabelle_

He reread the letter twice, going every detail of the words and imagining how she would say it aloud. She had put effort into the cursive words and made them as neat as possible. He noticed one important fact: she left out the word "_love_" and "_dad_". It was too convenient (when he considered their relationship) that she left those words out. More than likely, Annabelle had left them out on purpose. The mech wondered if they would have noticed that or they would've been thrilled at the fact their daughter was alive. Would they dote over the carefully crafted letters and ignore the fact that she was willingly leaving them to be with _him_? Would Sarah even inform the autobots that she had heard from her daughter?

Starscream folded the paper neatly at the corners and flattened it against the table.

"Twenty-two? Can you come here?"

He exhaled a breath, shacking his head "_no_". The mech tucked the paper into his pocket as he walked towards the bathroom. "What do you need?" Starscream asked sourly when he turned the corner into the bathroom.

Just as he had calculated, the wool pants correctly fit Anna and barely drug against the floor. The short-sleeved top fit her too. She turned around to face him with a neutral face. She held the top of the shirt together with her right hand. "Can you button for me?" she inquired. "It's hard to do it with a sprained wrist."

His smirk grew as he approached. "Of course," Starscream said chivalrously. A hint of smugness sprinkled the words. He leaned over and began to button the shirt at his own leisurely pace. Anna watched with keen eyes as his hands threaded the button through the soft cloth. The seeker couldn't help but notice that her skin didn't smell like him but of clean cucumber. As he buttoned the last pink button, he caught a whiff of her hair. The grape fruit scent erased the smell of snow and energon. A small, disappointed frown formed. "There you go," the mech said. He turned away; ready to get away from the closed confinement of the bathroom.

"Thanks," Anna muttered. Starscream stopped to looked at from the corners of his eyes. "For what everything you've done today, Twenty-two. You do better job than what I give you credit for." He shrugged it off and continued to walk away. "Hey!" she shouted. "I'm not done with you!" Anna reached for his hand. Starscream groaned and rolled his head back. His patience was wavering dangerously thin. Keeping him in the room was like walking on thin ice; it was eventually going to give way underneath her. "This won't take long . . . I _promise_."

He turned around, giving her a tired glare. "It better," he grumbled. Starscream pulled his hand away so he could cross his arms and brood properly. "What do I need to do?" he asked tetchily.

"All you need to do is stand there," Anna snapped. "Nothing else." She back away until she stood side-by-side the decepticon. He watched through the mirror as she snuck her good arm around his back. She leaned into him by placing her head affectionately on his arm. "I don't think we match," Anna spoke after a few quiet but crucial moments. "Not at all," she added in pessimistic voice.

He dropped his arms and used them to pull her close to him. He wrapped them protectively around her waist like she was a prized jewel and held her tight enough, like he might lose her if he didn't. Anna moved with the touch and relaxed comfortably. Starscream hunched over so that his hair brushed against her temple. The human's cheeks flushed at the touch. "There," he whispered in a smooth voice. "Do you see it now?" Starscream and Anna looked into the mirror, gazing at the picture of two people they barely knew.

She nodded. "Daine and Olive are sure living the good life," Anna commented.

"They sure are," the seeker agreed. "But this is as good as it gets for them. The better days are reserved for _us_ – Twenty-two and Annabelle, Starscream and Slipstream."

She turned her head away from the mirror to look at Starscream. "Can we just finish the movie?" Anna asked softly.

"Let's get a new one so that we can start from the beginning," he suggested.

"Okay," the human replied in a quiet but happy voice.

They left the bathroom with their feet striking the ground at the same time; their arms intertwined and fingers tied together. She quietly slipped into his arms on the bed. She hadn't just slipped easily into his life, but he had done the same thing to life. Anna found her place on his chest where her head could rest in the nook between his head and shoulder. Starscream put on a new movie without a complaint from her. They laid there quietly, neither really paying attention to the movie.

* * *

**A/N:** 17 chapters after they first met, Anna and 22 finally have there first official fluffy moment. It makes me so happy. I can promise you guys that their relationship will pick up a lot quicker from there. :3


	22. Chapter 22

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

* * *

**A/N:** Have a very merry Christmas! :D

ALSO: if you noticed starscream's oocness from the last chapter, then know that he was meant to be a little ooc. for reasons that are revealed later.

**Replies:**

Bumblebeezgirl,, Anna will never become a transformer in the usual sense just because I don't like the idea of humans turning into transformers. but something will happen. x)

**Pairings:** Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide

**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers or any of them; they are rightfully copy-writed to their respectful owners.

* * *

He. Was. Dead.

Skywarp, his bondmate, was dead.

Dead, _not _living. Dead.

No longer living.

Gone. Forever.

_Forever_.

That was a long time.

Too long for Thundercracker.

He collapsed at his bondmate's side, his arms curling protectively, instinctively around the lifeless, ebon' body. Mud splashed onto his armor, but he couldn't care. He couldn't care about anything, not even himself. The only thing – creature – he cared for was gone.

GONE.

The word echoed in his processors but he couldn't grip its meaning. It seemed too fantastic and surreal.

The blue seeker pressed his head into Skywarp's back. The pressure in his lubricating systems was forcing lubricant out the major ports on his body. A blue hand snaked it way through his bond-mate's chest and rested where his spark chamber would have been. To not feel a spark chamber there created a hole in his spark. The hole was a void similar to that of a black hole – nothing could ever fill it again. Thundercracker's body twitched like a person having a seizure, and his claws sliced easily through Skywarp's armor. He clamped his mouth onto his brother's wing; it was the only way to hold back this strange, foreign feeling in his vocal processors.

After a few convulsing minutes, Thundercracker's body became impossibly still. The cold wind froze his body in place. '_Maybe this is what it feels like to freeze_,' he thought lifelessly. The deepest, most intimate part of him was already frozen: his spark. His spark had over the frozen but this – this savage act was what shattered his spark. His soul was nothing more than shattered glass. Walk over it and you might cut yourself.

He could feel his spark plunge to a dangerously low level of energy. Thundercracker dangerously hoped that his spark would sink to a low enough energy level that it would collapse upon itself. Then he wouldn't have to live through these moments: the aftermath moments. As he saw, he was no longer living, only existing on some unreal and hell-like plain of existence. A fog of confusion swept over his processors. Death no longer seemed illogical. Life, life equaled illogic. Without Skywarp to fill the equation, it wouldn't ever make sense.

Thundercracker + life + Skywarp = logical

Thundercracker + life – Skywarp = illogical

Thundercracker – life – Skywarp + death = logical

Logical = good

Thundercracker – life – Skywarp + death = good

Deep inside the darkest place, the glowing spark began to expand, exceeding the chamber's limits. Thundercracker's death grip tightened as the overload hit him. The seeker could no longer contain the raw, bleeding emotions growing inside of his hollow shell. He howled into the evening air, crying out all the endless pain and loneliness that suffocated his spark and drowned out all logical thoughts. Pain, anguish, regret, guilt, love, loyalty, dedication, and selfless dedication flooded his cry. For miles the creatures in the forest listened to the screechy, dying-animal sound. Something had indeed died but what, the creatures would never understand.

As darkness overcame him, Thundercracker could only manage one coherent thought: _'Please, let me die.'_

The wind rolled over his body, whispering, _"No."_

* * *

Without Annabelle, his world seemed much colder and this world even more alien. He couldn't believe that he would feel out place. Even when he was in his vehicular form, Ironhide felt as if all the humans could see for what he was, an alien, not a kind alien either. Oh no, his body language alone was a warning sign: brisk steps, bright but narrow optics, slightly hunched over back, and an unforgiving scowl across his facial plates. Even the twins, who had never respected his boundaries, strayed away from him whenever possible. He envied them, wishing he could get away from himself, but he couldn't. He stuck to face himself head on; which was the problem. How did anyone face the reality that they could have caused their loved one to jump off the cliff? Especially when you didn't know that you did it?

The iron giant pushed his way through the forest, his armor catching a few streaks of the newborn sunrays. The ground sucked and gripped his feet like an octopus's sucker. The mud gasped as he pulled his foot away and hauled it onto dry land. The hulking autobot climbed up the hill, his guilty, death blue optics never straying from the oak tree. Its great leaves fluttered in the morning breeze and dripped with sweet dewdrops, but the tree appeared to be less magnificent without Annabelle underneath its shade. As the sunlight casted a golden glow onto its leaves and his back, Ironhide still felt cold inside. A deep chill swept through his spark, nearly extinguishing its flame.

He lied down in the sea of grass. The sky above him was open and completely free of any clouds to hide behind, yet somewhere in its vastness, he was sure was _his _Annabelle. Not the one that was pathological liar and betrayed them, but _his _Annabelle – the one could steal his focus if she glanced at him the wrong way in front of the autobots. She was the one that would climb out her window to whisper "good night to him" and give him a kiss on his hood every night, even on the coldest of winter nights. She was the one that would that could say "_I love you_" without muttering a single word. She was the one that could make him wish he could be human.

She was the person that made him feel normal and made him forget about his hardships. When she was around, he felt as if the war didn't exist. Oh god, did he love that feeling. She was the one thing that could actually make him feel all the emotions he fought to put aside. In so many ways, she reminded him of Chromia.

Ironhide couldn't remember a day when she hadn't brought a smile to his face or when he didn't feel proud in her presence. What he couldn't remember was how they had gone from being from being childhood friends to something other than that. It felt as if one day they both awoke from their sleep and knew that all the time they had spent together was adding up to this. He remembered the way she would lean into his fingers or curl into a ball between his shoulders and neck joints during the Wyoming winters. The way she would laugh as he cussed at the snow. Surely all of that had to have been real love.

'_But what if it wasn't?_'

The doubt chewed at his processors and he growled. Ironhide rolled onto his side where he saw the ghost of Annabelle staring back at him. She turned her head towards him, grinning from ear to ear. The tips of her blonde hair hovered in the air. The surface of her iris twinkled like a million stars, all because he was there beside her. "Why are you so upset, Scrappy?" she asked. "It's not like I'm the one in danger here."

"Anna – "

"I'm not," she interrupted. "You're the ones that are in trouble. It's not fair that you guys should have to put your lives on the line for me. I really feel like I should be protecting you guys."

"Anna – "

"I would join the bad guys you know, but not because I agree with them but because I would do it to keep you safe. Then no one could harm you." It clicked. Ironhide remembered this moment. It had been nine months, twenty-three days, seventeen hours, fifty-nine minutes, and twelve seconds ago that they lied together under the tree, staring at the stars. It had been the same night that the autobots learned that Elita One's body had been found strung outside of Iacon as a sign to all autobots.

"I'd become a decepticon just so that I could save you from Megatron and his creeps." She smiled brightly at him before looking to the stars. "I could pull it off too. I can act so evil and you guys would believe it – well, the others would believe, but you would know better, Scrappy. You always seem to know me so well, even when I don't."

It was illogical but he reached out to touch the memory of Anna. His hand passed through nothing. The autobot's spark seared with an unimaginable internal pain. The blue spark twisted itself into a tiny pretzel-like knot. Oh what he would give to go back to this moment and hold her once more.

"But you know I'd always be on your side," Anna interjected. "You would know that I could never betray you. I love you guys too much to do that sort of thing . . . especially _you_."

Her image vanished, replaced by a black, unfriendly foot. Ironhide blinked a few times before looking up to see Barricade starring at him with a charged canon replacing his left hand. The maroon eyes blinked insensitively down at the autobot. "Anna?" he sneered. "Is that the name of Starscream's little slave?"

_Slave_. Ironhide loathed that word as deeply as he loathed Starscream for his treachery. He pushed himself off the ground and aimed his canons at the decepticon. Surprisingly Barricade lowered his weapon and stepped submissively backwards. "I'm not here to fight, General," Barricade stated. "If I was here to fight, I would have attacked you when you were day dreaming." The mech had a point, and Ironhide lowered his guns against his better judgment. "I came here to make a deal, Ironhide. One I think you'll like."

"What do you want?" he barked. Shame crept through his circuits. He lifted his head proudly, criticizing Barricade with his optics. Ironhide knew he should've turned around because by staying here meant he was willing to cross the lines made by Prime and Megatron. After all, if Anna could have had the courage to cross it, then he had it within himself to cross the line too.

* * *

It was sometime after the fifth movie ended and between the low howling of the wind outside that Anna rolled her head over to see him staring at the ceiling blankly, very distantly. He didn't acknowledge her as she said his name, first softly, then louder. She went quiet after a few minutes of this and thought of it as nothing more than a glitch. He had, somewhere between the third movie and fourth, begun to slip away and paid less attention to her. Annabelle had assumed he was bored with the movies, but the way he looked at the off-white ceiling was different than a bored gaze. He was thinking about the darker side of things, but she had ignored it because of his human touch. She had, despite all her shame and instinct, enjoyed the way he held her. It felt normal to lean against his holoform and pretend his holoform was a human.

"Be like that!" Anna snorted. She pushed herself away from, but his hand came up, grabbing her roughly by her bicep. She snapped her head back, giving him the best death glare she could produce. "Let go of me, Twenty-two." She jerked her arm away, but his grip tightened to the point she felt her bone would snap underneath the pressure. "Starscream let go!"

"No," he breathed. The seeker turned his head towards her. He could make out all her features in the moonlight, from her crinkled nose to the way her pupils were enlarged with rage and fear. He loved the fear she emitted. It made him feel powerful leader he would be again. "I am your guardian and I can decided what you do."

"No, you can't!" she shouted loud enough that she was sure she woke up the people next door. "You're job is to protect me and show me your world. Nothing else! That's where the line is drawn!" He applied more pressure to her arm, getting a grunt out of her. "You're going to break my arm," she whimpered.

Submission. That's what he wanted. He dropped her arm and looked away to the door. Anna got off the bed quickly, disappearing into the next room. "Good riddance," he muttered sourly. Starscream placed his head against the backboard. It creaked ominously. He breathed out, trying to exhale his frustration with it, but it didn't help. Nothing did. He raked his hand over his face to the point he had to ease his grip or risk damaging the holoform. '_Some advice you gave me, Skyfire_,' Starscream sneered. _'Not only did you successfully make me look weak in front of her, but actually made me pretend to like her._' His hand curled into a fist. '_And to top it off, it didn't so squat._'

"_I know you will not want to do this, but try redirecting your rage. Anna responds better to kindness than rage_," Jetfire's voice repeated in his head. "_If you are to gain her loyalty, you'll need to show her that you care about her – make yourself look weak. Pretend that you're into her; almost like a mate. Anna loves being the center of attention._" There was break in the memory of his voice. "_Be open with her. You'll see the change immediately. Treat her like a human. Compliment her. She'll become more attentive to you._"

"_Change_?" He had to cough out the word. '_More like I had to change into auto-slags_.' As disgusted as his thoughts were about his past behavior, his scientific nature could not deny that there had obviously been some truth to Jetfire's words. Anna, once caught in the moment, ignore her initial instinct that something was wrong and for what? '_A little bit of comfort?_' She was weak to trade her instinct for something as ridiculous as security. '_Hell, if she wanted that, she should've stayed with the auto-scums_,' he criticized.

"_You need to be patient, brother_," echoed Jetfire's voice. "_Anna doesn't like change. Too much change too quickly and she becomes upset. You need to give Anna time to adjust. Let her get used to you before you take her any farther into our world. This needs to be a gradual change. If you don't, then you'll never gain her trust._" Starscream swore his memory chip was overloaded because of the clear, crisp sound of his voice. He banged his head against the head bored, trying to knock Jetfire's voice out of his head. "_And please, don't give Anna the choice to make decisions on her own yet. She's still young and doesn't comprehend danger. She's young and foolish._"

At those words, Starscream should've ignored Jetfire but he had listened to them out of what they had once shared. The seeker had been foolish enough to listen to someone that clearly did not know Anna or _his _Anna to be specific. The two saw two different people. As he reviewed his time with Jetfire, Starscream began to realize something he hadn't understood, a fundamental reason that would explain Anna's actions.

The autobots didn't trust her. And why would they?

An adult human was unpredictable at best, but a young human was more than they could bargain for, especially when that human had grown up as one of them.'_That's why they babied her,_' he thought. '_They know she's disloyal to them. So they wanted to make her dependent on them, make her feel that she had to be a part of them. You led her on to believe she was human, when in fact she had the mind of a sparkling. Then you made it seem that she was the problem by allowing her to believe she is the crazy one. That she is the wrong. Brilliant. But of course you auto-slags forgot about the part when she was right and you were wrong. Now she's old enough to know that people lie to you, and who better to lie to you than your family. Make her feel small and believe she needs you._' Starscream heard Anna trip over the table and fall onto the couch. He was tempted to get up and check on her, but her sufficient cussing was good enough evidence that she was okay.

He had made his way through the door connecting the bedroom to the living quarters. The 'con sank into the cream chair and stared at Anna, unblinking. A table separated them, but it might as well have been a galaxy. There was so much in between them, so much distance that needed to be covered, that he felt small and weak.

"You're a good liar," Anna spoke emotionlessly. "A really good liar."

"A lie is only as good as the person who will believe it," Starscream explained bitterly. Clearly the time he had used to review her actions, she had used to review his. She must known by now that his actions were not genuine. "It's the persuasion factor that determines how good a lie is."

"Well, you did a really god job, Twenty-two," the human appraised coldly. "Because you had me fooled. I was beginning to think there was actually a good soul inside that shell, but I was right the first time; you're nothing but a hollow shell."

"You should've stuck with your gut instinct," the 'con retorted.

"Next time I will." It was a promise, perhaps even a threat if analyzed enough.

He pressed his back into the chair. Her piercing glare was carving wounds into his hard outer shell like was butter. It was sickening how easily she got underneath his skin. "But I like to take the time to say you are the best liar here, Slipstream," Starscream injected. "You had me fooled." His was not kind but not malicious either and that scared Anna. The absolute calmness and eerie composure sent shivers down her spine. Starscream pulled out a paper – her letter – out of his pocket.

She knew what it was without looking at it. "How'd you get that?!" she growled.

"That doesn't matter," Starscream explained curtly. He unfolded it carefully, pressing out all the creases. The mech set it on the table in front of her so that she could reach out and grab it. "A person who knows what their doing and what their goal is does not write something like this," he spoke matter-of-factly. "Which is leading me to believe that you didn't bring me back to keep your family together." She was pale and avoided his gaze at all costs. Anna took a fateful look at the clock sitting atop the television. She knew her time was up, that someone had finally caught up to her; but it couldn't be - not _this _soon. "So why don't you tell me what your real motives are. Why are you doing all of this?"

She quiet, still as a statue. The soul in her eyes was unreadable, masked by something he couldn't break through. "There are so many things wrong with us," Anna said softly. "With them and me. I knew it from a young age. They didn't want me, but I wanted them. The only reason they even put up with me was because my father served with them. Well, that's wrong. One of them didn't me: Ironhide. He's the only that actually didn't push me away when I first discovered them. He was the one that always played with me. He always had enough patience for me when I was little." The memories of Ironhide warmed her numb face and brought a tender smile to her thin lips. It pained her to know that he could still comfort her young heart, even after what she had done to him. "He was the one that argued to have me inducted into their world. I think he thought I would be the ambassador that Sam would never be."

Starscream's face was sour like a Warhead, but he was listening. She knew that by the way his cold eyes critically analyzed her words. He was looking to see if she was lying again. She licked her lips nervously. Anna brought her knees to her chest. She shouldn't be telling anyone this, especially him. Why would he understand what she had been forced to endure. "At first I loved the idea of growing up to be one of them, but – " She focused on the shadows. They suddenly felt much larger and menacing, especially the way they crawled along Starscream's holoform. He looked like the boogey-man from her nightmares. Hell, he could be for all she knew. If he was the boogey-man, then this was a dream. But if this was a dream, why hadn't she woken up?

"But as you grow older, you begin to realize things don't match. By then though, it's too late. The snare has already caught you by your neck. I tried to get away from their world and retreat back into mine, but I could never fit back into society. I had to watch what I said and make sure I didn't let their existence slip. I created whole excuses for why I could never make it to my best friend's slumber party or why my friends were high-school kids. I lied in order to survive in my native world, but that meant surrendering to their world. Among the autobots, I didn't have to lie. I didn't need excuses. I could be myself. That felt nice you know, to be yourself, yet, myself isn't good enough for them." She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms tightly around her legs. Anna was scared that if she would let go, she would crumble underneath her own lies. "I think at first they thought I would be like Sam: naive and stood stupid to realize it. They wouldn't have minded had I not taken one step too far." She swallowed the hard rock in her throat. "I understood their native speech. I crossed the one barrier that they didn't want _any_ human to cross. When I was around, nothing they said was safe. They spoke less and less in their own tongue, and more and more in English. The autobots don't want the humans to know their true feelings towards the alliance.

"Optimus and the others are dedicated to the cause of keeping Earth safe from decepticons but not human threats. Should they decide that the best decision would be to leave Earth, they would do so without hesitation, but the government doesn't like that idea. Galloway and his crew like having power over the autobots. The officials don't understand how irritated the autobots are with them. I overheard Ratchet suggesting they leave the planet out of their own safety. The humans trust their lives to the autobots, but the autobots would not put their lives in human hands. The autobots know better. But I knew and that made me a danger to them. I could compromise their whole alliance if I wanted too. But I didn't because I liked the power I had over them. I was just as bad as Galloway, but I'm worse than him. I knew better than Galloway. But still I did it.

"Then I out grew Ironhide. It was like one day I woke up and I no longer wanted him around. I wanted something more substantial than a real imaginary friend. He felt it too."

"Felt what?" Starscream asked.

"What we had always ignored," Anna explained. "We were too ignorant to recognize that the others didn't feel the same way about me. I was a human to them, not a sparkling. They didn't trust me like a family member. They took caution when I was around. I was a human and would always be a human to them. No matter what I did, I would always be a threat. All because of what I was born as." Hot, _too_ hot, tears leaked onto her icy cheeks. They burned her cheeks, leaving an invisible scar on her soul. They tasted of salt and sour betrayal. "There comes a point when you know you won't change their minds. So I tried to become what they wanted me to be: human. I thought if I tried hard enough that I would magically forget their world that I would fit into my native world again.

"It only made it worse. Instead of being a hollow shell in one world, I would be a hollow shell in another world. Then I had to pretend to my parents that everything was okay. I would ignorant to the fact that they couldn't stand one another. I thought if I changed myself, that everything would become normal again. Maybe if I changed for them, then I could stop it from falling apart. But I got so caught up in pretending that I forgot about _me_, the real Anna. It is so much easier to be someone else than who you are. It's so much easier to please someone else when you're something they want you to be."

She was quiet as she retreated into her the dark abyss that was her mind. The gap between them was smaller and Starscream was sure he could, metaphorically, jump over the gap and into her world. He was aware of the fact that all the theories (including his) about her were wrong. She wasn't crazy; at least he didn't think she was. No, Anna, as he perceived, was the equivalent of a sparkling whom had been shoved into a world she didn't know without the right programming. She had spent the better part of her life trying to please them so that she could be accepted as one of them, but when they didn't, she blamed herself. She considered herself a failure. And so when he acted like a caring human, she acted human to match him, to appease him.

"I'm so weak," she cried. "If I was stronger than I could keep this up, do it for them. After all, isn't that what love is supposed to be? Selfless? You're supposed to sacrifice yourself so that they can be happy, right?" She felt his arms wrap around her and his energon-scented breath on her nose. "I'm so pathetic because I'm confessing this to a robotic Hitler instead of my family." Anna clung to him, leaning into him. She wanted something real to hang onto, something that wouldn't turn against her. She buried her head into his neck. "I'm so fucked up," she breathed into him.

"No, you aren't," Starscream assured. He gently ran a hand over her back, trying to sooth her shacking body. "You've done nothing wrong, Anna. It's them – the autobots – that are the problem. They are the ones that don't know the meaning of love. They don't – "

Anna pulled away from him. She disgusted by his hypocracy. "And you do?" she asked critically.

"I know the meaning of being lonely and the difference between that and being with someone who is one the same level as yourself," the seeker answered. "And I know now that you and I are on the same level, Anna." He cupped her face with his large hand and stared into her eyes. She was hurting and strangely it pained him to see her in that state. He was her guardian after all; he was supposed to protect her from pain. "I promise that I will make you strong, Anna, so that you will never need them again."

She doubted him. It was plain in her eyes. "B-b-but they're a-all I-I have left," she said through her sobs.

He shook his head. Humans could be so thick at times. Starscream stood up, staring sympathetically at her. This sparkling would take a lot of work if she were to become what he imagined her to be. "No they aren't," he informed. The 'con outstretched his left hand to her. "You have me." Her bleak, irritated eyes stared blankly at him; then they slid down to his hand. "I'm all you'll _ever_ need, Anna."

"Forever is a long time," she muttered.

"Not when you're at my side," Starscream replied. She curled away from him and the tears stopped, but restraint finally snapped. The seeker snarled, "Anna." He rolled Anna onto her other side, leaving scratch marks on her skin. "You pathetic human," he breathed. "Nothing will make you happy! And you're so thick because you don't see that I'm trying to set you free from this vicious cycle. But no! You think I, your savior, am the bad guy!"

"Because you are the bad guy!" Anna yelled. "You're a scheming decepticon with a record of being a traitorous bastard, and I've spent enough time around you to know you don't do anything without cause. Which tells me that you are only keeping me alive for something horrible; otherwise you would've let me stayed at the autobot base or let me stayed dead."

"How many times do I have to repeat myself?" he growled. "I did not mean to kill you. It was an accident."

"It only proves my point!" she retorted. "You need me alive for something!"

"If you put some trust into me, then I could show you," he blasted.

"Show?" she mocked. "Why the hell can't you tell me – oh wait, you're a coward. I almost forgot that."

"I would have to show you because you don't trust me word," Starscream snapped. He yanked her to her feet and pressed her against his chest. A low cried emitted from her vocal cords. He had forgotten that her ribs were still recovering from the incident. "You make this so hard on yourself," he spoke softer. "When it doesn't have to be. How can I be your guardian if you don't trust me?"

"Why are you so concerned about having my trust?" he said bitterly. "Isn't that what you're supposed to save for your second-in-command?"

"I am," he replied sternly. "But she isn't responding well to it."

"Wait. What?" she blurted out. The anger in her voice transformed into confusion, concern, and curiosity.

In unison, he rolled his eyes and sighed. Starscream's hate for stupidity hit a new low. Assured she wouldn't run away, he eased his grip. "Thundercracker is a weak second-in-command. He has proved to be a disloyal soldier to the decepticon cause. He has a high risk factor of betraying me in the future. It would not surprise me if he defected to the other side or runs away from the war all together. You, on the other hand, may be weaker than him at the moment but you have a far greater potential. I know I could count on you."

"How do you know that I won't betray you?" Anna questioned.

"Because it is not in your personality to betray someone," he assured. The decepticon ran his hand through her hair. It was the only action that kept him from coming unglued. "If I didn't think you were worthy of this position, then I would not be offering it to you, Anna," Starscream added flatly. He stared at her, looking as if he meant ever word.

She blinked away from him. The human was tired of lies, especially the ones that seemed too good to be true. "Why?"

"Anna, I would not have kept your alive if I thought you were a danger to my operation," Starscream stated. "It's for the opposite reason that I'm doing this. I _trust_ you."

"You barely know anything about me," she criticized.

"I know that you are five foot, three inches with blonde hair and acceptable blue eyes. You weigh one hundred-nineteen pounds and have a knack for gymnastics. You hate the situation you are in with the autobots, but you don't want to leave them for moral reasons. So you take your frustration out on me because I am a threat to your cyclic lifestyle. You're afraid to get away from that life, yet you are eager to have freedom and control over your own life. Underneath that weak fleshing body is a fighter like her father. You also know that I would never intentionally harm you nor would I leave you without cause; which is a new concept for you."

Her mouth parted as she stared at him. He naturally smirked, feeling as if he had won a major battle in this relationship. "And I know that you will say yes to this position because it gives you the power that you always wanted. You will also say yes to this because I know that deep inside you trust me; otherwise, you wouldn't have ignored your instincts and lied with me on the bed while we watched that horrible entertainment."

"What if I said you were wrong?" Anna asked. "What would you say to that?"

"Then I would say you are lying," Starscream answered frankly.

She pulled her lips into a small smile. "Then I guess you do know me after all, Twenty-two," the human said. "But when do I get to find out who you are? I don't know you as well as you know me."

"If we are to work as a team, then I surmise we have to take down these barriers," he thought aloud. He paused, thinking of a good starting point. "My mentor and guardian was Alpha Trion. I was originally assigned to work in Kroan as an over-seer but I was transferred to Iacon to become a scientist. I worked first as a local scientist before upgrading to an off-world explorer. I choose Skyfire as my partner for the journey. We became brothers and lived together. Then when he disappeared, I went into the military force. There I served under Ironhide as Captain of the forty-second seeker regime. I defended Cybertron several times from The Unknown. Then when war broke out I joined the autobots. I later defected to the decepticons. In order to join the winning side I killed Chromia – Ironhide's sister. I then became second-in-command and commander of the decepticon air force.

"After many years I came to Earth to retrieve the Allspark but those humans destroyed it and Megatron. I retrieved Frenzy's head and headed back to Cybertron. I then spent some time to recreate the cube and created the protoform Scourge from it. Shockwave betrayed me and I was a prisoner under him. I managed to escape and came to Earth to make yet another Allspark. Thundercracker called me crazy. In my weakened state, we fought. I had enough energy to get to that hanger.

"Then you revived me. Together we escaped from the autobots' oppression. Now we're in Moscow and I'm explaining this to you. Soon enough we will leave Earth and head to Cybertron . . . with you at my side as my second-in-command." He looked boredly at her. History had never been one of his favorite subjects, and it was made only worse because he was the primary subject of this history lesson. "Is there anything else you'd like to know, Anna?" he asked slightly bitterly.

"Yeah," she said snootily. "What happens between Moscow and Cybertron?"

"How did I know that you would ask that?" he asked rhetorically.

"Because you know me so well," Anna replied with a cheesy smile. She stood on her the tips of her toes and brushed her nose against his shoulder. "But you didn't answer my question, Twenty-two."

"I'm not going to answer it till tomorrow night," he replied flatly.

She slid away from him. "Well then," Anna mused. "I guess I'll just have to burn some time." She glanced over her shoulder at him. "You might want to change into something a little more casual, Twenty-two."

"Why's that?" he asked cynically.

"Because I've heard rumors on the internet that night clubs in Moscow are some of the best," she informed. "I for one am not going to miss the chance to experience that for myself." Her words were finals. She slipped away to the next room.

"And why are we doing this?" he called out.

She peeped her head through the doorway. "Because we need to work on our relationship, Twenty-two," she argued logically. "Otherwise, we'll never get anything done. Well, other than driving one another crazy."

"I believe we have accomplished that one already," he said, following her into the next room. She beamed brightly before turning around and disappearing into the artificial light. He stood still for a few moments, staring at where she had been. Perhaps he had gone crazy from being around her, and that had insanity had caused him to keep her alive; but as she called out his name, he felt no regret about the decision. She was the first creature that genuine in his world.

"Twenty-two!"

"I'm coming!" he barked. Then he too disappeared into the artificial light.

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A/N: what's that old saying again? keep your friends close and enemies closer?


	23. Chapter 23

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** Merry Be-Lated Christmas everyone! I hope you all enjoyed it!

&& this is a short, kind've fun filler chapter.

**Replies: **

Master Chief Nicole,, Sorry, but Anna will never become a transformer. I've never liked that idea of humans becoming robots and robots becoming humans. &&let me guess, you're writing a Halo based story? :3

**Pairings:** Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide

**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers © Hasbro.

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With her arm wrapped around his and her fingers strung through his warm fingers, Anna led the way. The side walked baked in the streetlight's yellow glow. Windows were transformed into dark mirrors, reflecting the faces of young, happy people laughing and smiling loudly. The cold breeze that drifted through the maze of steel buildings ruffled their clothes, hair, and brought friends closer together. In between their breaths, the music's beat pulsed in the atmosphere. The atmosphere's electrical charge lifted the airs on their arms and excited their bodies. Suddenly this world wasn't defined by how you looked but by how you moved with the music.

While Annabelle's eyes searched for the perfect club to crash, Starscream disapprovingly eyed the people they past and the shadows in the alleys. He couldn't understand how his human could ignore the grimy faces that belonged to intoxicated women and the predatory stares from sly men. He brought her closer to him till her body was touching his. The seeker over-protectively glowered at anyone that violated his ten feet diameter, personal space circle, but he didn't deter the intoxicated people's stares; they continued to stare at his well-dressed Anna like he didn't exist. Starscream's disapproving frown turned into a scowl as they continued to ignore his warnings.

He felt a tug on his arm as Anna drifted to a suitable nightclub. Above the blue glass doors, a bright neon sign illuminated the Russian words "The Notion." Anna's ebony heels clicked against the floor, but the high sound was eclipsed by the music. His vital analyzing processing unit flashed a noise warning level. The mech trailed poorly behind his human and had to push people out of his way to keep up with her. He curiously watched as the lights flashed and beat with different colors to the music. The humans' faces all shared the same excited emotions. The bodies brushed against each other, some on purpose and others accidentally.

She had chosen what humans referred to as a "hot spot." Girls and boys younger than Anna swayed and danced away, forever lost to the music. Some shared their mouths in a disgusting form of human intimacy: a kiss. Oddly and illogically enough, some girls shared these "kisses" with other girls and a select group of boys copied them. '_Why would these insects choose a partner that they couldn't reproduce with?_' he asked himself.

Starscream's eyes were dragged away and refocused on another scene. A girl with strawberry hair and drunk by the way she stumbled over her own feet, clung desperately to an older male. An intoxicated smile spread across her freckled face as she laughed at something that hadn't happened. The male, probably ten years older than the girl, led her into the male's restroom. '_Strange_,' he commented.

"Someone's going to get laid tonight," muttered a Russian who had witnessed the same scene.

His processors short-circuited for a nanosecond as he realized the meaning behind the sentence. "Anna," he called in an urgent tone. "Anna!" His voiced was masked by the music. Starscream tightened his grip on her, stopping Annabelle in her tracks. "Anna," he hissed.

She impossibly spun around on her heels with a dirty look in her eyes. She placed a hand on his black dress shirt. "Why don't you go grab yourself a few drinks," Anna suggested heavily. "It might wipe away your bad attitude." She glanced towards the glow-n-the-dark bar. "There's a pretty girl over there eyeing you. Now go work on your human skills and talk to her."

"Anna, do you know what is going on here?" he asked loudly.

"Of course," she retorted sourly. "I've been to these places before."

"What?" he blurted. The mech stared surprisingly at the human. He was expecting her to be lying but she was telling the truth. "How?" Starscream demanded.

"It pays to have friends who are respectable members in the community that are old enough to be chaperones on far away field trips," Anna answered. She jerked her other hand from his grasp and used it to push him away. "Now go! You're starting to suffocate me with your snooty, anti-fun attitude."

"Anti-fun is not a word," he commented.

"It's better than the other word I was going to use," she snapped.

"And what was that?" he asked hatefully.

"Shitty," she spat.

He opened his mouth to speak but a wave of people crashed over them. Starscream was pushed back and out of Annabelle's sight. The swaying bodies brushed against the holoform, sending chills of claustrophobia and disgust for the humans' stench down his spinal circuit. He retreated from the human sea towards the only haven where there was a lack of human hordes: the bar.

Pushing through the wall of bodies was harder than he had calculated. Starscream discovered he had to shift his holoform into position were mentally uncomfortable. The "grinding" motions the female flaunted and the uh – whatever the male motion was called – increased his lack of respect for the insects. How either gender found it pleasurable was beyond his logic. '_Fleshies are strange creatures_,' he reminded himself.

A female was flung onto his chest and knocked him into the person behind him. The bleached blonde titled her head up, beaming brightly at him. She snaked her skinny arms around his body. "Hey, baby," she spoke in Russian. "Want to be my new dance partner?" She batted her fake eyelashes at him. Was she begging?

"I have one already," Starscream growled ruthlessly in Russian. He pushed her away from her shoulders and towards a new victim. Mumbling incoherent Cybertronian cusses and fueled with a new determination to escape this hellhole, the 'con broke through the human mass in record time. He stumbled out of the crowd and glared back at their uncaring faces. '_Dumb shits_,' he cursed. He took a seat nonchalantly at the bar and ordered a screwdriver. The mech placed his elbows on the bar and glared at his drink. '_I should've said no. Should've, should've, should've!_'

"She's a pretty girl." He ignored the obvious American accented English voice. "The one you came in with."

Starscream lifted his head. The woman sitting next to him was the one Anna had picked out for him at the bar. She let her straight, ebon' locks drape across her bare shoulders. In the limited light he couldn't make out what she was wearing but he assumed it to be a dress or something like that. The overly tanned woman had a narrow face with aquamarine eyes to compliment the darker tones of her body.

She turned herself around to spot Annabelle dancing in the crowd, while he glanced over his shoulder. Without much trouble, he could see Anna flirtatiously dancing like everyone else. Her white top was constantly changing colors, depending on which light was casted over her. She spun in circle, where he caught sight her smiling. His fingers curled into a fist. '_How is it that some stranger can get her to smile and I can't?_' he asked himself angrily.

"I wouldn't worry too much," the woman commented. "It's just the nature of people when they get on the dance floor." He shot her a bitter glare. She dismissed it as a jealously and continued to talk. "I'm surprised she's not dancing with more people. It must be her shyness."

"Shyness?" he said bluntly. "She's anything but shy."

The woman glanced flatly at him. "Well, she is," she argued. "Otherwise she wouldn't keep looking over here."

"She's just twirling around," Starscream retorted.

"Yes," she acknowledged. "But when she does, she's looking at you." The woman swung her seat towards the bar and took a sip of her Bloody Mary. "She's hoping that you'll come over there and dance with her."

"Yeah, right," the seeker replied sarcastically. He tore his optics away from her. "She hates me. Absolutely distrusts me. Anything I do, she questions. She's constantly picking on my flaws instead of acknowledging all my good." He gulped down a quarter of his drink and pressed the cold glass to his left temple. Sometimes it felt _good_ to complain. "We spend more time bickering than anything."

"She must really like you," she commented.

"That's an illogical way of showing it," he criticized.

She shrugged. "Insecure girls can be like that."

"Insecure?" he choked. "She's the most confident and arrogant thing I've met."

The human breathed out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "Guys," she muttered to herself. "Don't' know anything." Facing him with one elbow on counter, the woman added, "I'm going to assume she's had her heart broken … pretty badly if she's acting like that." The mech looked curiously at the woman. "She's "arrogant" and "confident" and "fiery" because she's trying to push you away. She doesn't want you to know that she's attracted – do seriously not know any of this?"

"I don't get out much," Starscream said flatly.

"Obviously," she breathed. "As I was saying, she likes you, but she doesn't want you – "

"That doesn't make sense," he objected. "If you like someone intimately, then you have to "want them" a little bit."

"Let me finish. She likes you, but she doesn't want to like you because she's afraid you'll hurt her emotionally. Basically, she's scared to trust you."

"But I've done nothing to her to make her scared of me," the seeker argued. "I've given her everything she's wanted; including a higher position of power in my business. I've even doted on her. I've given my trust to her."

"It doesn't matter," the woman informed matter-of-factly. "What the last guy, if it was a guy, did to her. She's going to think that you'll be just like him."

"You'd think with all I've done for her, she'd at lest give me some trust," he complained.

"Oh god." She ran her hand over her face. "You've been trying to buy her trust. That's the worst thing you could've done."

"What?" he asked point blank.

"You can't buy her trust," she stated. "If you try to buy it, you'll only make her more mistrustful of you."

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to do?" Starscream asked impatiently.

"Wait," the insect ordered. "You need to wait for her to trust you. Let her be the first to make a move. Just give her some time to trust you."

"I don't have time," he spat. She looked at him, bewildered. "I'm going to be deployed in a few weeks … I don't want to lose her to someone else while I'm gone." He finished his drink and placed it on the bar. Starscream concentrated on the empty cup. Strange, it didn't as big without a liquid occupying it.

"You must really like her then," she commented softly. She leaned against the table' edge. She swished the liquid around with her black straw and found it to be a nice distraction. "Most guys would runaway from a girl like her."

"She can be incredible," Starscream explained. '_Pain in the ass_.' "She's witty, smart, funny … everyone loves her. She's – "

"Everything you're not."

"I wouldn't say that," he defended. "She can be just like me at times … stubborn, sarcastic, cynical … determined." He waved his hand to dismiss the bartender. "I can get her out of my head. I want too but I can't."

"If you like her that much, then why would you want to get her out of your head?" she asked innocently.

"Because it's _not_ healthy," Starscream enlightened. "Not for my profession. I need to be able to focus when she's not there. I don't need to be worrying about her when I'm on the battlefield or thinking about what she's doing in my free time. I don't need a distraction like her – they're dangerous."

"It sounds like you need one," she corrected. She eyed him briefly before looking at her drink again.

"Why do you say that?" he asked acidly.

"Because only the truly lonely people think having someone by your side is a weakness," she answered frankly. "They're afraid to get hurt. People like that, you for instance, are cowards. You don't want to be weighed down by anything. To you, people are expendable." His glare was beginning to burn a hole through her personal shield. She laid the money down for her drink and shuffled out of her seat. "I gotta go," she spoke urgently. She glanced towards him. "Good luck. I'm sure you two will need it."

"Hey," he called after her. She glanced over her shoulder, still walking. "I'm Daine! " he yelled over the music.

"Mikaela!" she shouted back. "Mikaela Banes!" Then she blended flawlessly into the mass of insects. Mikaela slid easily through the crowd and slip through the doorway. Outside in the cold air, she pulled her vibrating, teal cell-phone out of her black boots. She brought to her ear and answered, "Hello?"

"_Mikaela?_" asked a familiar, masculine voice on the other end. "_It's Sam_."

"I know," she answered curtly.

"_I … I was just wondering how you were doing_."

"Doing fine, Sam."

"_I figured so…_" Disappointment clung to his voice. "_Mikaela, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said earlier. It's just … I was out of line. I'm sorry and I love you._"

"I love you too, Sam," she replied. "Just not everything you do."

"_Look, I was calling to see when you'd come home_," he explained. "_It's lonely here without you and I want you to come back._"

"I'll be home in a few days. We can discuss it then."

"_Actually, I was hoping to now_."

"Why the rush?"

"_I just want things to get back to normal as quickly as possible_," he admitted.

"Is your mom coming over or something?" she inquired.

"_No. She and dad are on vacation in the Bahamas right now. Can't I miss just having you around?_"

"What are you scheming now, Sam?"

"_Nothing. I honestly miss your company_."

"You have Bee, Sam. I bet he would love to talk to you. Maybe you two should go for a ride. You haven't taken him out on the rode for six months."

"_Bee's not here, Mikaela_," he said somberly.

"Oh, did he go down and visit the autobots?"

"_Kind've._"

"Kind've? What's that suppose to mean?"

"_Galloway is rounding up all the autobots and moving to the Diego Garcia ... permanently_."

"Why would he do that?" she asked harshly.

"_Lennox's girl is missing_," he explained. "_The decepticons kidnapped her_."

"Kidnapped her?!" she repeated loudly. "How? She's surrounded by autobots."

"_I don't know_," Sam replied. "_They haven't told me much_."

"Why wouldn't they tell you anything?" she demanded.

"_I don't know, but it's not good. I think they know something big is about to happen and it's scaring the shit out of them_." They were both quiet as she strolled down the street. "_And Mikaela_?"

"Yes, Sam?" she asked quietly.

"_I'm seeing _them_ again_." She froze in place at those words. The medicines, why had they stopped working? After almost thirteen years, why now? Ratchet had assured them that Sam would stop seeing the symbols permanently. She rested against a streetlight and used it to support her weak legs. Mikaela had to remind herself to breath. "_Please come home soon_."

"I'll be there tomorrow," she assured. She felt her throat begin to tighten.

"_I love you._"

"I love you, too." The line remained opened for several minutes before Sam hung up the phone.

* * *

His optics never left her, not even a pica-second. For one straight hour he watched her ignore the pain in her ribs so that she could flirt with the music. He'd seen her flash smiles to insects that didn't deserve them. She'd gone as far as to take a sip out of some random male's beer bottle. Didn't she think anything through? It took what little restraint he had to stay in his seat and brood over his slutty human.

When Annabelle took a seat by him, he pretended not to notice. He looked in every direction other than hers. She reclined against the seat and sighed. She stared out onto the crowd, not fixating on any one person. "So … you're pissed off," she commented.

Silence.

"We can leave if you want," Anna threw out there. "You're probably ready to leave."

More silence.

"Are you going to talk?"

Not even so much as blink from him.

"This is really uncomfortable," she informed.

'_Now you know how I feel when I'm around you,_' he retorted.

"Hello?" she asked. "Are you going to answer me or just sit there and look pretty?"

Nothing. Just silence.

Desperate to get a reaction out of him, Anna slid out of her seat and plopped herself on his lap. She hung her legs off his thighs. Carefully, the human crossed her arms. Starscream couldn't contain his smirk any longer. He slid an arm around Anna's back to support her. She placed her against his shoulder. With larger eyes, Annabelle looked up to him. "You're a real jerk," she spat.

"So I'm told," he dismissed.

"You smell like alcohol," the human stated.

"And you smell like dirty human," Starscream replied. She narrowed her gaze on him. "You insult me, and I'm going to insult you back." She huffed and muttered something to herself. "Now why are we here, Anna? You said we would work on our relationship."

"We are," she said coolly.

"No, all I've been doing is watching you be preyed on by undeserving fleshies," he corrected.

"Well, if you were so concerned you should've intervened," Anna snapped.

"But I didn't."

"Yeah … why?" she demanded.

"A test of wills," Starscream informed. "I wanted to see if you'd come back to me or if I'd have to fetch you."

"I guess you won," she said sourly.

"Indeed I did," he agreed. "And I think a prize is in order."

She rolled her eyes and mockingly laughed at his statement. "Yeah, right," Anna snorted.

"You're so quick to judge, Anna," he stated flatly. "You don't even know what I want."

"Let me think." She tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully. "Oh, power with a side of punishment for his human? No, no. Maybe a hot fudge sunday topped with lies and a cherry?" she said sarcastically. "Or perhaps Twenty-two would like an obedient human that took her punishments without complaining?"

"No," he replied. "Though all of those – excluding this "sunday" – would be nice." He brushed his sandy hair against her forehead. "I want you to say "yes" to my next question," he spoke into her ear. She raised an eyebrow at his demand. "I promise you that you'll not be harmed any more than the state you are in now."

"Oh wow, that's real promising," the human retorted.

"I've made very little promises in my life, but I've kept all of them; that includes the ones I made to you." Starscream looked at her, focusing on her eyes. He was searching for that something she had had in the autobot's basement. "Do you swear on your life and the lives of your family to keep everything between us confidential?" he asked. "That you'll never reveal any of this to anyone, not even to a stranger; you'll give up your life before telling anyone about what happens between us?"

"Where are you going with this, Twenty-two?" she demanded.

"Do you swear?" he asked.

"Why do you need me to swear?" Anna asked persistently.

"I can only tell you that after you swear," the seeker informed. "Now do you swear?"

"Yes!" She gave into his mind games and sighed.

"Then give me your hand," he ordered. He took her hand left hand in his before looking at her. "This shouldn't hurt _too_ much." A pen prick shot through her palm. She jerked it away from him to see what he had done. The blood rose to the surface of her palm, bringing life to the tribal symbol. "Its ancient Cybertronian for _remember your promise_."

"So I have a new tattoo on my palm?" she asked dryly

"I didn't add any dyes, " he answered. "It'll just be a scar." He placed a napkin in her hand and folded her fingers around it. "I just have to make sure you'll never forget."

"Why would I forget?"

"Should the autobots steal you away from me, they'll want to pry you mind for dirty little, decepticon secrets. None of my other comrades could know about this either or else we'd both be fatally compromised." He tapped a finger on her forehead. "And I'd hate for any of them to find out one of my dirtiest ones all because you forgot about the promise."

"What exactly can't they know?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'm going to make you my bond-mate," he answered.

"Wha – what?" She pushed herself away from him, till only his arm kept her from falling onto the floor. "But – but that's – that's insane. Why the fuck would you do that, Twenty-two?"

"Life is about your priorities – wants – and I happen to know what I want, Anna," he said calmly. "I want Megatron dead; which has been accomplished. I want to regain my leadership over the decepticons. I want to win this war so that our race can begin reconstruction. Lastly, I want you."

"Why would you want me?" she asked viciously. "I wouldn't want me!"

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not you," Starscream answered.

Anna was unable to meet his gaze anymore. She slipped off his lap. She reached for his hand and spoke softly, "Let's go for a walk."

Something wasn't right; from the way she looked away and faced the doorway. "Anna?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"We need to go for a walk," she insisted.

* * *

Diego Garcia did not feel like home. It felt like a prison.

Galloway had taken advantage of the current situation to enforce regulations on them that would not have passed otherwise. The first rule stated they had to remain in their vehicular forms unless instructed by an officer. They were to remain stationed in the hanger unless instructed. They could not project a holoform unless instructed. They could not speak to any humans unless spoken too. They could not speak aloud to each other in their native tongue unless given permission. They were allowed to sit in the same position, gather dust, and rust.

The only autobots not occupying the hanger were Mirage and Jetfire. All communication with Jetfire had ended in failure. The techno division of NEST was currently searching for him, but he had fallen off the map. At the current moment, they had put him under MIA status.

Mirage, on the other hand, had experienced trouble with the decepticons on his way to Earth and was forced to remain in a distant solar system or so that was the story Optimus had relayed to the commanding NEST officers. They, the autobots, knew the true story. Mirage had landed on Earth twenty-two hours ago. He'd track down Barricade and copied his design. Then he had encountered Skywarp and hacked into his systems. All current decepticon plans and hiding places were in their hands. All the vital information needed to retrieve Annabelle was there, but instead of rolling out, they were rusting away in the humid hanger.

In the room adjacent to their designated resting place, Galloway was yelling at Lennox. The worst of both men had flushed to the surface. Epps and Graham were holding a thrashing Will Lennox by his arms. A woman's wrath was said to be like hell, but a father's love and determination to protect his daughter against treason was worse … much worse. Scientists and troops alike flinched as Lennox screamed angry words at the top of his lungs.

"_This isn't right_," Sideswipe muttered over their frequency. The humans had no control over their frequency. "_They can't do this to us just because one stupid human is missing._"

"_That's Anna you're talking about!_" Bumblebee defended. "_She's not some human! She's your family_."

"_Family doesn't do this to you, Bumblebee_," Sunstreaker answered.

"_She didn't betray us!"_ the camaro repeated for the tenth time.

"_Oh, so she was a victim of circumstances?_" Sunstreaker retorted. "_The bitch turned on us, Bumblebee. She chose him over us. She's a fucking decepticon._"

His circuits snaked angrily beneath his cool armor. Being surrounded by arguing 'bot and not allowed to moved was creating a deadly situation. He had an internal clock counting down to the moment he would lose. "_She's not a decepticon!_" Ironhide growled over the frequency. "_She's better than that!_"

"_And how do you know that, Ironhide?_" Ratchet inquired. "_She displayed signs of trusting him over us. She could have well switched sides while suffering from bi-polar disorder._"

"_She's not bi-polar!_" Ironhide snarled.

"_Then why is she doing this, Ironhide?_" the medic hounded. "_If you have a different theory, then please present it to us._"

"_It's because she told me!_" the soldier retorted.

The frequency was empty like space, completely void. Optimus, who was in the same room as Lennox, marched into the hanger. Galloway turned his attention to Optimus and was yelling at him for leaving without permission. "What do you mean she told you?" he asked bluntly.

All four men fell silent as Ironhide shifted into his bi-pedal form. The pitch-black autobot looked to his leader with a dirty secret in his eyes. "Anna told me she would do this. That she would pretend to be a decepticon in order to protect us," he explained. Lennox's stare was burning a hole in his spark. A rush of guilt and shame electrified his circuits. "I thought she was kidding when she said that, Sir. You know, human imagination. They're such creative creatures after all."

The humans were still like the autobots. They couldn't believe what he had said nor could Optimus. "Sir," Ironhide said. "She wouldn't have gone through with the plan had I not done what I did."

"What did you do?" Galloway demanded.

He glanced towards Ratchet but without a face to offer comfort, he was just another object. "I took Ratchet's advice," he answered slowly. His optics rested on Lennox. What would he think of him now? "I ended my relationship with Annabelle."

"Relationship?" Galloway asked, bewildered. "Like romantic?"

"I'm sorry, Prime," Ironhide said. The humans said once you confessed, you would feel the weight on your chest lift, but he felt his chest being compressed by the shame. "I told her she was a human and that she could never do what we do; that she would be limited to human limitations."

"In other words, you told her she was another useless and stupid human," Ratchet commented.

"Yes," he acknowledged. "And to prove me wrong, she did this – something that a human or autobot couldn't easily do."

"_You_ and _my_ daughter?" Will choked on the words. All the eyes were on Ironhide. Everything they had thought of him forever changed. He, besides Prowl, had been the biggest enforcer of the rules. It seemed impossible that he'd break the third cardinal rule.

_Do not get intimately attached to or involved a biological terrestrial_.


	24. Chapter 24

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

* * *

**A/N:** HAPPY NEW YEARS!

**Pairings:** Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide

**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers © Hasbro.

* * *

Sometimes reality didn't make sense. Most of the time it didn't; he just went with the flow. It was easier that way, but this time, reality had gone _too_ far. There was sheer blackness around him but he could feel everything. He could feel the slimy, disgusting water snaked past his armor and wedged its way into his circuits. The wind's gusts blew through him like he was nothing, and tiny worms bumped into his armor as they searched for dry ground. For a moment he believed he was nothing. Maybe the slagging autobot had finished him, but instead of going to the Well of Allsparks, he ended up in the Pit. Maybe as punishment he would be forced to remain like this, suffocating underneath this massive weight.

He wouldn't, couldn't go down, not without a fight.

The seeker attempted to raise his body up but his limbs wouldn't respond to the internal commands. They lay numb on the ground, where tiny worms brushed against his armor. His thrusters were stuck between him and something hard like a rock, rendering them useless. '_Teleport_,' he mentally commanded. '_TELEPORT!_'

Nothing.

If he couldn't move, then he'd at least like to know where the fuck he was. He thought his optics came online and that he staring into the unbearable sun, but after few crucial moments, he realized the bright lights were his internal warning systems flooding his optics. Deterred but not beaten, Skywarp deactivated his optics.

Maybe he could speak.

'_THUNDERCRACKER!!!_' he screamed. '_THUNDERCRRRAAAACKER!!!_'

The only sound was inside his head. Outside, the world heard nothing.

'_SOMEONE FUCKING ANSWER ME!!!_'

His spark pushed against its chamber in a desperate attempt to escape his body. The Skywarp's energy contracted and expanded at a dangerous pace. He burning up energy he didn't have to spare. Like a red giant without enough fuel, his spark began to enlarge and press against his black chamber. He was suffocating underneath himself. There wasn't enough room in this tiny prison. Something had to give and Skywarp began to fear that it would be he.

* * *

They strolled down the street with their hands in their pockets. She pressed her chin to her chest. Anna licked the edges of her lips nervously. Where should she begin? With Ironhide? She breathed heavily into the air. The city didn't seem as fantastic as she had thought earlier. It was colder, foreign. The people on the streets were like aliens. They spoke a different language and moved to a different pace. The world was not but divided.

Annabelle glanced at Starscream. The ends of his sandy hair caught the streetlight's glow and turned blonde in the light. His angular face burned with curiosity and anxiety. He was so close to finding out what she had obviously been hiding that he felt the beginning of victory's joy creep through his circuits. He had to focus forward to keep from smirking with satisfaction. His plan had worked flawlessly now and she was practically squirming in his hands. Oh, how good it felt to have the upper hand against such a fiery human. "So…" Starscream looked to her. "What's on your mind?"

"I'm not who you think I am," Anna said bluntly. "I'm not nearly as insecure as you think I am. I'm not that girl who thinks she's Cybertronian. I'm not broken, just compromised. I feel you should know who I am before you go making me your bond-mate … I hate lying to good people." She swallowed down a shameful sob. "And you're a good person," she added weakly. "Too good to get involved in my personal scheme."

"I know about your scheme," he insisted. "You wanted to use me to keep your family together."

"My family was never falling apart," Anna corrected. "I made up that story because it seemed plausible. I didn't want anyone, including _them_, to know that I brought you back to life because I knew you were a decepticon. I saw the symbols and your tail. It seemed too good to be true, but it was true." Anna looked forward at the approaching cars. Their dazzling lights were blinding on a dark night. "I needed a decepticon and to befriend him so that I could prove to Ironhide that I was capable of handling myself. I wanted to show him that I was capable of doing _something_. And what better way to show that than to be a spy for the autobots? But they would never let me do that. So I had to deceive them into believing that I'd gone off my rocker."

"It worked," he commented flatly. A hint of anger at himself doused his voice. The seeker had expected that she yielded some information, but a confession? He hadn't expected that. Inside his pockets, the seeker squeezed his hands into fists. '_How could I have been so naïve to believe her?_' he asked himself angrily. '_What else has she been lying to me about?_'

"Yeah," she replied. "A little _too _well. I don't think they'd believe me."

"So what possessed you to do this?" Starscream inquired callously. "What did Ironhide do to make you so vengeful?"

"You're going to laugh at this, but it's because he broke up with me," Anna answered. "He told me one school morning that I wasn't worth it." Tears lined up along her eyelids. "That I was nothing but a pet to him. I was something expendable to him. He basically insulted me because of what I am – human." She hooked her arms around his for support. "But then you came and showed me that the autobots are wrong ... in more ways that just this war." Anna stopped walking on the corner of the street. She raised her head to see his eyes looking forward. "I'm glad you came into my life, Twenty-two," she added. "Because you're turning it around."

His anger levels descended a few levels at the compliments she had given him. '_At least she's being truthful this time … or until I find your other motives._' He smiled. "It's good to hear you acknowledge my greatness," the decepticon said smugly.

"Lose the attitude," Anna replied shortly. "Or I'll be force to kick your ass."

"Kick my ass?" he laughed. "Wanna bet? You are still a puny human, and I'm a highly sophisticated and deadly – " Water splashed across his and he flinched as it made contact with his holoform.

She had a deadly smirk on her face. "What are you? A cat?" she taunted.

The human squeaked when he lifted her off the ground. "No," he stated sourly. "I don't have fur, skin, blood, or any biological parts." Anna rolled her eyes at his predictable comment. He carried her down the street, heading towards their temporary home. "I'm better than _that_. I'm a Cybertronian."

"With a weakness for humans," she reminded coolly.

"I do not have a weakness for humans," he corrected bitterly. "I a strong want for a Cybertronian who is unfortunately born into a human body."

A corny adorned her face. "It still doesn't make sense why you would make me your bond-mate," Anna criticized. "I mean, you're you." She burrowed her eyebrows closer to each other. "It makes me think you're up to something, Twenty-two."

"Because when the time is right and you feel comfortable. I would like you to make me your bond-mate," Starscream answered.

"But why do you want a _human_ for a bond-mate?" she asked persistently. "That's not like you."

"Anna," he chuckled. "You should know by now I'm impulsive and impatient."

"Wow, you're admitting your own flaws for once," Anna congratulated. "I should get this on camera." She beamed brightly at him.

"And what I want, I get," the seeker finished.

"Why do you even want me?" she asked, more bitter this time.

"Because you'll help me end this war," Starscream answered. "And I know you're too genuine to _ever_ betray me." He set her gently on the ground like she was made out of glass. "And no living soul will know about us. After all, it's all confidential." He took her hand in his, leading her across the street. "You'll be my best kept secret, Anna; soon enough, you'll become my best soldier and ally." He wrapped his arm around her waist. "You'll be the one I trust and rely on the most. Hopefully you'll return the favor once you get comfortable in my presence."

She looked to him and smiled. Could he see the lie in her eyes or was he still trapped in the fictional world she had spun? Anna rested her head on his arm as they resumed walking down the barren street. '_No, I won't_,' she thought confidently.

* * *

After wrapping Anna's chest and putting her to sleep, he had deactivated his holoform temporarily. The decepticon had felt the need to leave the humans' small domain and return to his rightful place in this world – the sky. The wind's cool brush under and over his wings felt like ice to a sprained wrist. Up there where he soared, the raw edge of the wind breathed life into him. He freely moved with the brisk gusts, surrendering his body to pleasure. The tips of his fingers skimmed the clouds' backs. This was _his_ kingdom.

The best part of his kingdom was when he could roll onto his back, stare at the stars, and forget this puny, disgusting world. He could pretend to be under Cybertron's atmosphere staring at the stars from his world. The stars never seemed to change, no matter where he went. They were always there for him to gaze at for hours on end.

The stars were timeless celestial bodies. No matter what happened in the war, they remained the same, unchanged. '_Just like Skyfire_,' he thought bitterly. He blinked to clear his optics of the ice build up. The mech's optics strayed to the North Star. '_How ironic_,' he pondered. '_The same star humans use to guide themselves home, we once used to guide us home as well._' The edges of his mouth curled into a somber frown. '_But it doesn't guide us home anymore, Skyfire._'

* * *

"_So tell me about yourself," Starscream asked the white mech. He looked up to the unusually large mech. "What made you want to come here and try out for this prestigious position?" _

_Skyfire glanced uneasily at the bronze seeker. Unlike most larger built Cybertronians, Starscream used his sized to efficiently intimidate others. His keen red eyes rested upon him, analyzing his every move. Skyfire stopped walking to stare into the stars. The stars looked pristine as always and proudly illuminated the sky. He felt the seeker stop at his side to look at the stars as well. _

"_I've seen many of our kind play out their entire lives here without once wondering what lies beyond our planetary borders," he spoke. "They live their lives without taking a moment to look to the stars and be humbled. I don't want to be like that. I want to come online every day, look to the stars, and be humbled by their presence. I want to be shocked everyday of my life as I learn something knew." Skyfire looked towards Starscream. "I don't want to waste away here like my mentors did. I want to live everyday to the fullest, Sir, and this position would help me to fulfill that goal."_

"_That's a very frank answer, Skyfire," Starscream replied in a monotone. _

_This was it. He was going to say "no"; he could feel it in his spark. "Yes, it is, Sir," Skyfire said weakly. _

_The seeker shifted his attention to the mech. An approving smirk crossed his face. "And the best answer I've gotten," He outstretched his hand to Skyfire. "Congratulations." _

_He couldn't move his body. He was stunned. Had Starscream just given him his dream job? "Th-thank you, Sir," Skyfire stuttered as he shook his new superior's hand. "This … this is an honor."_

"_You earned it," Starscream answered. A devilish grin spread across his face. "You won't ruin my audio sensors with needless, illogical talk." The white mech nervously chuckled. "It's a compliment, Skyfire."_

"_If I may ask, why did you become a scientist?" Skyfire inquired. _

_Starscream refocused his optics on the stars. They appeared to be burning brighter than usual. 'Perhaps a changed in Cybertron's atmosphere,' he thought. "I became a scientist for your same exact reasons," he replied. "I didn't want to waste my life." He narrowed his optics on Earth's distant sun. The star was barely noticeable against the deep bluish black sky. "I want to be remembered for my great contributions to society." He paused, taking a moment to look at Skyfire. "And you'll be remembered too. You and I, we're going to go down in history as some of the best scientists."_

"_You're a dreamer, Sir," the mech responded. _

"_Perhaps," Starscream conceded. "But I believe with a little determination, physical force, and a good ally I can make it happen. The universe favors those who persist, Skyfire."_

"_I hope for your sake it does, Sir," he replied. "Or else you are setting yourself up for disappointment."_

_

* * *

_

He blinked again and woke from his memory. It seemed like that memory should have belonged to someone else, but it was him, as hard as that was for him to believe. It seemed surreal that there was time when "war" was just a random definition, not a life. '_I was weak back then_,' he told himself to keep the longing and lonely feelings at bay. '_Foolish like all young ones_.' It was a lie he couldn't make himself believe.

Starscream landed softly on the Arctic ice. It softly creaked underneath his weight. His red optics scanned the vicinity, but he could not detect Skyfire's presence. "Skyfire," he called. He slowly began to walk across the ice. "I know you are out here. So stop masking your signal and show yourself!"

The serene silence continued on blissfully.

"SKYFIRE!" he bellowed. "We need to talk. About _your_ Anna."

He didn't answer.

"FINE!" Starscream shouted. "If you don't want to see her that is your choice, but as your superior, I order you to show yourself now!"

He didn't come.

Agitation was growing at deadly exponential rate inside his circuits. He bared his beak-like teeth at nothing. "If you have any decency left in your pathetic, autobot spark, then you will show yourself!" His wings bristled as no reply once again reached his audio sensors. "SKYFIRE!!!" The seeker hovered over the ice, angrily and hungrily searching for his brother. "SKYFIRE!!!"

Starscream dropped to the ice again. This wasn't like Skyfire. He always responded when summoned. _Always_. '_Unless he actually meant what he said_,' muttered a doubt. '_And he's always true to his word_.' "SKYFIRE!!!" he growled into the air. "You have five seconds to respond or I'll blow this place to pieces." He right transformed into a missile projector. '_He's doing what you wanted to do after joining Megatron first beat you … He's running back to the autobots. He's betraying you.' _

The decepticon shook his head. Skyfire was his brother and brothers didn't betray each other. It was against the brotherly bond to commit such an act. '_He's betrayed you, Screamer_,' snarled his darker side. '_He's doing what you've done to Megatron so many times. The disgusting traitor is probably rescuing Annabelle right now._'

"_Barricade_," he screeched over the decepticon frequency.

"_Yes, mi'lord?_" the scout answered fractiously.

"_I want you to monitor the Arctic. Keep tabs on any aircraft entering, leaving, or currently flying in the area_," Starscream ordered.

"_Yes, mi'lord_," Barricade answered. "_Did the girl yield any information?_"

"_Yes, she did_," the seeker hissed.

"_Through what means did you use to obtain the information?_"

"_Why do you care?_" Starscream sneered.

"_Because I was able to come to an agreement with Ironhide_," the scout informed matter-of-factly. "_And the agreement would only work if Annabelle was returned to Ironhide in perfect condition_."

"_She is unharmed_," he retorted. "_A little scrapped from falling onto the floor, but healthy nonetheless. Under what terms was this agreement made?_"

"_It would be helpful to know what form of torture you used, so that I can assure him that she is okay._"

"_Do you doubt my word?_" he screeched.

"_No, mi'lord_," Barricade replied. "_But he is going on my word, and he would not believe your word_."

"_If you must know, Barricade_," Starscream answered frankly. "_I lied to her and made her believe she would be my bond-mate and second-in-command. Humans will believe anything you tell them. Anyway, she knows the value behind being a bond-mate and confessed that she was lying_."

"_That seems risky, Lord Starscream. Giving her such positions seems illogical_."

"_The humans have a saying, Barricade. "Keeps your friends close, your enemies closer._""

"_So you believe her to be dangerous still?_"

"_She has other agenda that puts her at high risk of her defecting back to the autobots_."

"_Then allow me to return her to the autobots. In exchange, Ironhide and Ratchet will leave the planet. That leaves us with two vulnerable autobots_."

"_No!_" Starscream barked. "_She has information we need_."

"_What information could she have to be_ that _important?_" Barricade spat.

"_She has low traces of high concentrated energy inside her brain_," the seeker informed. "_It has the same frequency as the Allspark energy._"

"_How would she get that stuck inside her head?_"

"I'm hypothesizing through contact with the Allspark shard," the mech explained. "_I want you to send a drone to Samuel James Witwicky's current residence and have it monitor his brain activity. I want to see if contact with the Allspark has affect him as well_."

"_Are the autobots aware of this, my Lord?_" he inquired.

"_Negative_."

"_Now your recent actions are making sense,_" the scout commented. "_When exactly did you become aware of this?_"

"_I did a scan of her brain activity when I helped her with her homework_," Starscream told. "_She had a higher energy capacity level than humans I had previously met. Upon further analysis, I recognized it as energy from the Allspark._"

"_So is she going to randomly create energon?_" he snorted.

"_No. That amount of energy would fry her brain,_" he replied shortly. "_The energy appears to be dormant. I would suspect it to be more data._"

"_Data?_" he repeated. "_Well, Scalpel should have no problem retrieving it. He's anxious to dissect a human_."

"_No, she is too valuable to become a lab experiment,_" Starscream retorted. "_But I do need the doctor to come make some improvements on her._"

"_What are you thinking?_"

"_She cannot come to Cybertron as a human. That is a fact. So we must disguise her as one of us_," he elaborated. "_I plan on creating a suit of sorts for her to inhabit while on Cybertron. I want you and Scalpel to get together and design it. I do not want any decepticon, other than the ones on Earth, to know about this. I expect to see the blue prints for it in two days_."

"_Yes, Lord Starscream_," Barricade spoke. "_On a side note, you are aware that Mirage is in Moscow, disguised as me?_"

"_Yes_," he answered. "_Skyfire informed me about that._" The mech ascended to the clouds. "_Among many other things_."

* * *

In the dim light of the night, Thundercracker's orange optics burned as bright as miniature stars. The neon yellow pits of his eyes flickered with hints of blue. He focused his optics on the moaning trees and groaned. His dreams of waking up from this bad nightmare were shattered like a broken beer glass. He curled his hand around a clump of mud. '_Mud?_' The mech lifted his confused head.

Five yards away was his bond-mate, rusting away in the wet weather. The black figure atop Skyfire drew his attention. The strange mech turned his smoldering, navy optics towards the blue seeker. Rage filtered into his circuits. "How dare you," muttered Thundercracker. He unsteadily pushed himself off the ground and stumbled to his feet. Across his optics flashed a low energon warning, but his focus wasn't on himself – it was on the slag that dared to return here. He weakly lifted a gun to the autobot. "Haven't you done enough damage, autobot?" he snarled.

"He's not dead," Mirage stated emotionlessly. "Not yet."

"He's missing his spark chamber!" the seeker shouted.

"_Was_," corrected the spy. "I put it back … spark and all." The autobot stepped down from Skywarp's chest onto the ground. "He's alive, Thundercracker. You can see it for yourself."

His optics flickered worryingly towards Skywarp for a second before resting on the autobot. "Why?" he berated. "You could've killed him."

"I just gave you your bond-mate back and you aren't even going to take him and get out of here?" Mirage asked coldly.

"You're a threat as long as you're here," Thundercracker spat.

"If I was a threat, then I wouldn't have spared Skywarp, and I certainly would've killed you while you were deactivated," he hissed. The mech stepped further away from Skywarp so that Thundercracker could stand over his bond-mate. "I would leave with him now before his spark collapses upon itself from lack of energy."

He lowered his gun, but kept his gaze focused on Mirage. "Why would you spare him?"

"Because someone asked me too," Mirage said heatedly. "If you aren't going to leave here in the next minute, I will have no choice but to open fire on you; and if anyone asks, you found him deactivated in the forests." He looked up at the cloudy night sky, admiring the blackness of the clouds. "You should leave now while you have cover. The Russians won't be able to follow you easily."

Thundercracker lifted Skywarp's limp body into his arms. He took one last look at the autobot. "Why would they want you to spare, Skywarp?" he asked neutrally.

"He was hoping you'd return the favor," the mech answered.

"She's in Moscow at the Royal Gates Hotel, in the garden suite," the seeker informed.

Mirage smiled. "You've got ten seconds left." His optics traced the path Thundercracker's engines left. The blue figure rose higher and higher into the sky, till the clouds engulfed his body. "There are happy endings after all," he mused.

* * *

Nine hours, forty-two minutes, and eight seconds later, Starscream reactivated his holoform. He lifted his eyelids up to see he was still laying comfortably across the cream couch. His feet lazily dangled off the end and touched the fake palm tree. In the next room, he could hear the water running from the sink. Suddenly the water stopped running and the bathroom door creaked open. The human's soft steps compelled him to turn his head. A few seconds later, Annabelle came into his view and plopped herself onto the bed.

She'd obviously taken care of her daily hygiene needs for she no longer smelled of smoke, alcohol, and pathetic insects. His human had dried her brunette hair straight and put it into a messy bun. Instead of wearing a white top, she'd chosen a royal purple, strapless bubble top. Hanging around her neck was the necklace he'd given her, and he approvingly watched as she needlessly fingered it; however, her focus was on the television as she pretended to understand Russian. Anna's legs were covered with black dress pants, and a pillow hid the black heels she wore. Like icing on the cake, his optics slid down to her hand to see she was wearing their "engagement" ring. Naturally, he smirked.

'_What the hell are you thinking, Screamer?_' he asked himself. '_Are you seriously going to go through with this, make her your "second-in-command" and "bond-mate", for a piece of information inside her head? You should let Scalpel extract, and then kill her. It's be more logical._' The seeker continued to watch her as she smiled at the reporters. '_It'd be less messy. Not to mention, you wouldn't have to worry about her lying to you a second time. If you think about it, killing her would be a much better route. You'd be showing the autobots that you can ruin lives, while proving to the decepticons you are still ruthless. You'd be showing her who's boss once and for all._'

Anna's laugh reverberated in his audio sensor. The innocent grin that traveled ear to ear was priceless, and despite her braces, she had a smile that could kill a person. '_She's not worth it, Screamer. All that human will do is create more problems. Look at the mess she's created already. Do you honestly want to get wrapped up in her personal scheme? No. You want to stay away from that._' The human sighed and flipped the channel. '_She's an incredible pain in my pain and smells horrible when she washes herself with that "soap." Not to mention she doesn't trust me as far as she can throw me. She's got a horrible sense of humor and is too cynical to offer any good criticism; she's always got some other agenda than what she lets on – _' His concentration was broken as he heard the television turn off. '_Just like you_.'

Anna leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms. "It's rude to stare at a person," she criticized.

"Well, it's a good thing that you aren't a person," Starscream retorted coolly.

She rolled her eyes before sitting on his chest. He looked annoyed at her but remained silent. "Did you know, that since you aren't a human, that if some government agency wanted to use _real_ torture techniques on you they could without getting in trouble with human rights organizations?" She reclined her feet on the table and pretended to yawn. "It'd be an awful tragedy if the Russians were to get a hold of you somehow," she added sarcastically. "I might even cry thinking about what they are doing to you."

"Tears of joy and laughter," he responded flatly, playing along. "I guess it's a good thing that you're on my side, Annabelle; otherwise, I'd be up shit creek without a paddle. Thankfully, because of my superior skills, I'm not nor will I ever be."

"You're going to get yourself kill with that attitude," Anna exclaimed.

"You're always so quick to point out my flaws," Starscream stated.

"I can't help it that you set yourself up for disaster with your attitude," she chirped happily.

"I'd hate to burst you bubble, Anna," he spoke sarcastically. "But you won't be able to pounce on my every flaw once we're on Cybertron."

"And why not?" she demanded to know.

"If my second-in-command is constantly arguing with me, they'll begin to suspect something," Starscream explained. "A second-in-command should be able to function without constantly arguing with his or her superior." Anna dramatically rolled her eyes. "If you are to play the part perfectly, I need you to be like me, deadly, ruthless, cunning." '_She's already is like you, Screamer_.'

"And you don't think I'm capable of that?" Anna asked with an insulted tone to her voice. "Do you not remember the times when I used my status among the autobots to keep you in line? You were scared of me back then."

"I was _never_ scared of you," Starscream corrected angrily. "I was more focused on myself and keeping myself alive so that I can rebuild Cybertron."

"Do actually believe the lies you tell yourself?" Anna inquired.

"They aren't lies," the 'con responded cynically. "They are the truth."

"So you truthfully told yourself that you wanted a human bond-mate and human second-in-command?" she berated. "I don't believe that." She laid herself across her chest and rested her head over her arms. "I've been over what happened last night, and nothing you did made sense. You've been acting weird ever since we left the autobots. You've gone from being you to something else. You're up to something, Twenty-two. I know it, and I'm going to find out one way or an other." She stared straight through the disguise like he was made of glass. "I can see through your lies, Starscream. That includes all those "promises" you've made. Nothing between us in confidential."

"Well, aren't you a little hypocrite?" Starscream spat.

"Wha?!"

"You don't think I can't see through your lies?" he asked rhetorically. He wrapped his arms around her to hold her in place. "Little, pathetic squishy, you are a convincing liar at first, but you soon start to deviate from your original story; which gives you away as a liar. You don't think I haven't suspected you from the beginning? You are so simple minded that it borderlines bad comedy, fleshy."

"Me? Bad comedy?" she laughed. "You're the one that is bad comedy. You try to justify your actions by saying you'll rebuild Cybertron and end the war. You can lie to yourself, but you can't lie to me. I can see past that. You are a murderer, a traitor, and the most awful person I've ever met! You're a robotic Hitler."

"You toss around a lot of names, fleshy, but you failed to point out why you don't trust me," the seeker informed smugly. "And while we're still on the topic of lies, I would like to point out that you lied to me when you promised me that you swore your loyalty to me. You don't think that I can't see that you're still loyal to those auto-slags? You're an open book, fleshy. You can't hide anything from me."

"And so are you, metal head," Anna growled. "I can see why Jetfire would choose to kill you. You are a deceptive slim ball who is a coward. You put everyone else's life at risk except for your own, but what's worse is that you don't trust anyone. That's why you sent Jetfire away to "convert" to an autobot. You're paranoid that everyone is going to betray you, and you're paranoid because you're afraid they'll do to you what you've done to so many. What you don't realize is by pushing away the one's that trust you, you are encouraging them to mistrust you."

"And how would you know that?" he asked slyly.

"Because I heard it from the horse's mouth," Anna retorted. She twisted her head towards the doorway. He felt his eyes enlarge at the site of his brother.

At six feet, eight inches, Skyfire was daunting among the humans, and for once, he used his size to intimidate Starscream. He walked across the room like he was king and Starscream was peasant. His bodily and facial features mimicked an Eskimo. The fire burning behind the autobot's pale, icy blue eyes stopped his spark. "Let go of her, Starscream," he ordered in a usually strong voice.

"What are you doing, Skyfire?" he barked. He held onto Annabelle tighter, possessively.

"I came for my sister," Jetfire answered frankly. "I will not allow her to be harmed by you any further. Now release her or I will use physical force to pry her away from you."

The seeker pushed Annabelle off of his holoform. "You can have the fleshy," he growled. "She's not worth it anyway." She stumbled into Jetfire's arms like a scared, newborn calf. Using his elbows, Starscream propped himself into a sitting position. "You can leave now, _traitor._"

Jetfire looked towards Anna with relief. She was safe and that was all he could ask for at this point in his life. He turned away from Anna to face his brother's enraged gaze. "I'm sorry that this has to be our farewell to each other, brother," he said genuinely. "But I refuse to take part in your schemes. Maybe when this war is over, we can brothers again … like we were before the war." He moved closer, closing the gap between them. "Until then, take care of yourself."

Skyfire moved quickly for his size. His large hands grabbed hold of Starscream's head before his brother could protest. With a quick, very simple motion, the autobot crushed the holoform's head like someone crushes a piece of paper. Anna brushed passed Skyfire to look at the protoform as it fell apart.

"What'll happen to him?" she asked weakly.

"If he's smart, he'll leave this world," he answered bluntly. Skyfire took Anna's hand; he was scared that he would lose her again if he didn't. She brought her free hand to the necklace and jerked it off her neck. She delicately placed it one what remained of the protoform's chest. The mech watched as her eyes remorsefully looked over his brother's holoform. "C'mon, Anna," he urged softly. "It's time to go home."

* * *

**A/N:** you didn't seriously think I'd kill off Skywarp did you?


	25. Chapter 25

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

* * *

**A/N:** wow, I can't believe over a year ago I posted this! Where has all that time gone? I really should update more often.

**Dedications: **I would really like to thank all the dedicated readers, reviewers, and anyone who has faved this story or put it on their story alerts. Without your comments or e-mails, I don't know if this story would've evolved to be anything other than a little plot bunny or a "_what if_" thought if it weren't for your support. 3 I really enjoy hearing from all of you and your opinions about the characters and recent events in the story. So a big thank you to all of you for putting up with my lack of updates, typos, and general complicated story-line. Give yourselves a pat on the back. You deserve it! Well you deserve more than a pat on your back.

:lays out chocolate cake: enjoy! :D

**Pairings:** Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide

**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers © Hasbro.

* * *

He pressed his back against the wall, wishing he wasn't hearing the conversation in the room on the other side of the wall. The autobot couldn't understand how they could talk about her like she was a _thing_. Hearing their voices was slowly eating away at his patience. Galloway's voice triggered his cannons to hum. He could feel the heat of his canon's power radiated dangerously. Without so much as a command, they slid down his arms and onto his forearms. Ironhide's blue optics burned unnaturally white as the yelling vibrated in his audio sensors again. He took a deep breath to cool his temper, but the air only added to the flame growing inside of his spark. The mech eyed the wall, trying to picture where Galloway would be standing in the room.

"It's the damn government's fault!" Sarah shouted. "If they had kept closer tabs on the autobots, then none of this would have happened! That's damn truck never would've corrupted our daughter, Will!"

Will was silent, unresponsive. Ironhide couldn't bring himself to blame Will. As the father of Annabelle, he had every right to not respond. The fact that Will wasn't responding, made him hopeful that he was too scared to argue with Sarah; however, he couldn't hold back his anger towards Will. Will, the same person he had fought beside and protected for over a decade, didn't come to his defense, he felt deep pain his spark. '_Betrayed_,' muttered a mistrustful voice inside his head. '_Instead of Chromia being the victim, you are_.'

Ratchet peeped from around the corner to see his old comrade struggling to hold back his rage. "I thought I'd find you here, Ironhide," the medic spoke. The black mech flicked his optics towards the medic just to acknowledge his presence. "You're very predictable like that." He took a deep breath while folding his arms across his chest. Ratchet flinched as Galloway began to ramble on again. "Haven't you had enough of listening to these fools?" he asked.

"The only fool here is you," Ironhide growled.

"Me?" Ratchet asked, bewildered. "I don't understand what you are talking about, Ironhide."

He turned his glare towards Ratchet, unleashing his hate onto the medic. "You were the one that said leaving Annabelle would be a good thing. You told me by ending our relationship, that she would live a better, healthier life," Ironhide snarled unfriendly. "You made me believe that she would go on to live a normal life like Sam. And you informed me with your matter-of-fact, I-know-better-than-you voice that it was the right thing to do; that _we_ were unhealthy for her!" He pointed a finger towards the wall. "How can you say that _that_ in there is healthy for her? How can being surrounded by ignorant slags and unhappily married parents be good for her? I would like an answer, Ratchet, as to what logic you used to justify separating Annabelle from us." He threateningly stepped forward. "Because as far as I see it, it was the _worst_ thing we could've done."

The mech spat into Ratchet's face, and the yellow autobot used his large hands to wipe away the lubricant. "Perhaps it has escaped your notice, but being around us has skewed her logic. She prefers our company over her own species. That's not normal," he argued bitterly. "She shouldn't be courting a Cybertronian. It's reinforcing bad behavior. _You_ should know that, Ironhide. They are still a young species and don't realize the consequences of their actions nor do they see the harm that they are doing to themselves. You should've stepped in, been the bigger person, and ended that relationship before it went _that_ far."

"You are just like a politician, Ratchet," Ironhide sneered. "You're such a hypocrite that it's enough to gag my spark. I recalled a time when you sided with Prime and wanted Sam to be our ambassador, but he refused. Sam wanted nothing to do with us. For Primus' sake, he wanted to get rid of Bumblebee. I remember how disappointed you and Prime were when he declined. But then we have Anna who comes along, wants to be part of our society, learn our ways, and trusts us completely; and the only thing you can think is how this is bad. She's the perfect ambassador for us and you dismiss her as a fluke, an anomaly. When in fact she was probably the best damn thing to happen to us!" He cornered Ratchet against the wall. The mech breathed onto the medic's face; only a faint sliver of control was holding back his violence.

"What she did wasn't insane," the black mech continued to shout. "She did it to protect us, and to prove to us that she can not only handle herself but that we can trust her. She's the only human who would die for us, Ratchet. She considers us her family, but there are those like you who don't want to accept her as family. You're afraid of her because she's a human, but if you opened your closed optics, then you'd see that she's not like other humans – she's _one_ of us. She belongs among us. And as far as I'm concerned, she _is_ one of us."

Ratchet stared blankly at the soldier. He couldn't wrap his mind around what his comrade was saying. He slowly shook his head, chuckling nervously at Ironhide's close proximity. "You've really allowed yourself to go overboard with this obsession for Annabelle. You've obviously blown a logic chip if you believe that a human can be one of us. She is a _human_, Ironhide, primitive and unpredictable. She would leave you in a heart beat for a suitable mate." He opened his mouth, but stopped himself before the words leaked into the air. He was hesitant because of where this conversation was heading.

The medic took a deep breath, convincing himself it would be the only way to knock common sense into Ironhide. "She is _not Chromia_, Ironhide. She may act like her, but she will _never_ be Chromia." Ironhide's optics flinched at the sound of her name in such an angry voice. "I'm sorry that you lost your sister and never got to make her your bond-mate. I really am, but you need to realize you aren't the only one to lose someone close to you; and you need to realize that Annabelle will never take Chromia's place in your spark. She simply doesn't have the capacity to fill that kind of gap … no one does."

He didn't see Ironhide's hands grasp his neck, only felt the critical pressure they applied to the delicate wires. "Ironhide!" he croaked.

"No," Ironhide snarled. "For too long I've been quiet, taking your orders, and fulfilling them like I'm some dog. Now it's time for you to listen, Ratchet. Annabelle is not a threat nor has she ever been a threat to us. She's put up with us and has clearly chosen to have us as her family over her own; she's made it _very _clear that she doesn't want to be part of a broken family. It's her choice if she wants to live among us; if you were to take that away, then you are no better than a decepticon throwing her into The Pit."

He pressed harder onto the vital energon lines leading to the head. His chest plates shoved Ratchet's back into the wall, giving him no room to squirm. "Annabelle is everything we ever needed in a human. She can handle herself among us and has proven herself to be a vital member by keeping us sane on this god damn planet. She's the only sane human on here that can actually mentally grasp the severity of our situation. She's the only one who actually understands our stance on the war, and she understands that if we stay here, we will die … not because of the decepticons mind you, but because of these filthy, flea-bitten humans! They want to control us like we're pets. If it hadn't been for Anna and her father vouching for us, we would've been sent here many years ago."

He forced Ratchet's upwards as he snaked his thumb underneath his jaw. Ironhide could feel the pulse of vital energon line. _Thump. Thump. Thump_. … _Thump. Thump. Thump_. Ratchet's baby blue optics stared submissively towards his brother-in-arms. The medic had forgotten wasn't a civilian turned soldier, but a trained soldier who solved his problems with force and intimidation. He didn't use fancy words to dance around the topic, but charged mercilessly towards the problem without any thought of hesitation. Whenever a danger presented itself to Ironhide, he eliminated it; at the moment, Ratchet wasn't sure if he was danger that would soon be eliminated. He flicked his optics towards Ironhide, searching for a trace of restraint. All he found was a soldier with nothing else to live for other than a human. "You're suffocating me," Ratchet muttered.

"Good," he spat hatefully. "Now you'll know how I've felt when I had to stand in her presence and not do a thing to her." Ironhide breathed a hot breath onto Ratchet's optics, casting a fog over their slick, shiny surface. "I never claimed Anna to be Chromia nor would I have ever wanted her to be anything like Chromia. It's because she's a human that I love her, Ratchet. If she were one of us, _bodily_, then I would not think of her as anything other than a teammate, battle partner, but she's _human_. She doesn't have to fight in our war because she's a human nor does she have to worry about us; however, she chose to be part of our war, and she chose to worry about us. She made the choice to be with us. She wasn't forced into the decision like many of us, me included. Anna is loyal to us because we are her family, not because she hates them or some other bullshit. Because of being human, she _willingly _chose to have a life with us over spending it with those fleshies. That takes loyalty, courage, love, and things that most humans lack.

"I know that what we had between us went against the rules, but it couldn't be helped. In time all love grows," he explained. He shielded his optics from Ratchet and stared blankly at the ground. His mind was choking on the words he had spoken, trying to wrap his head around their worth. He felt as if someone had just punched his spark chamber. The mech dropped the medic and turned his back to him. "It's not something you'd understand," he huffed angrily.

Ratchet gently stroked his neck, trying to analyze if any damage had been done to the vital energon lines. He looked sympathetically towards Ironhide. Ironhide's shoulder plates bristled and he carried himself with a wounded pride. Without any technological sensors, he could see his friend was hurting and he knew it wasn't a wound he could fix.

While watching Ironhide, Ratchet realized, or at least could somewhat understand, why Ironhide would allow himself to love this human. Unlike the ninety-seven percent majority of the autobots, Ironhide's pre-war friends had not joined the autobots – his ex-brothers-in-arms had taken the side of the decepticons. The only family he had had was Chromia, but with her death, he was left alone the autobot side. He was an outcast among the autobots for his strong, rather radical ideas, and a traitor to his ex-friends. He had nothing to look forward to if this war ended. If the autobots won the war, then he would live out the rest of his life _peacefully_ and _alone_; while if the decepticons won, then he would have to face his ex-friends as they tortured him. Either way, he ended up alone.

Or he would have ended up alone had he not met Annabelle. She was young when she met him and gave him a fresh start on a new planet. She would grow up, resting underneath his shadow, not knowing about the pains in his spark. Anna would allow him to reconnect without the worry of ever being betrayed or judged. She was so young that she would become what he needed – something to look forward to each day. While she could not fill Chromia's shoes, Anna could offer him the same love and relief in her own unique way. And then, in time, that bond between them could grow stronger to the point that he believed that he loved her … and maybe the old soldier did.

When Ironhide and the rest of the autobots least expected it, their old, war commander had been shot in the spark with Cupid's arrow. The arrow had lodged itself just so, so that if pulled out, then he would bleed to death. That's exactly what had happened when he, Ratchet, convinced Ironhide to move on with his life. His old comrade was bleeding, and he couldn't stop it. The yellow mech bowed his head. '_He has nothing left to look forward to_,' he thought with a handful of guilt. '_In his case, I guess it would have been better to never have loved, then to have loved and lost it_.'

Ratchet carefully laid a hand on Ironhide's shoulder. "I do understand, Ironhide," he answered. "I understand completely." Ironhide twisted his head around to give Ratchet a death glare. Very weak restraints were holding the soldier back from striking the medic with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry that you have to suffer. I really am, old friend." Ironhide expelled a deep, stressful breath. "I can understand how someone could fall for her … she's witty, silver-tongued, feisty, talented, and the center of attention. She's very beautiful on the inside."

"What's the negative side?" Ironhide asked. "You always have a negative side to cancel out the good."

He blinked several times, bidding his time. "As much as I understand your situation, I must stand by my original position in our dilemma. Anna doesn't belong among us. None of this should've happened, and now we're all feeling the effects of your two's decisions. I be – "

Ironhide walked away.

It was simple and eloquent like a tragedy. As Ironhide rounded the corner and out of his sight, it felt like a piece of Ironhide had walked out of his life. His optics flickered to Graham, who was standing beside him. "Where's he going?" he asked innocently. "If Galloway catches him walking about, he'll get it."

"He doesn't care," Ratchet answered. "He's going to go where he wants and no force is going to stop him."

"Where's he going?" Graham repeated.

"Somewhere far away, where no one can find him."

* * *

They had not exchanged words since they first set foot outside the hotel. The space between them was ominous, thick like a fog. She felt like a total stranger sitting his cockpit. Anna no longer felt a sense of belonging to him nor did she harbor any feelings of friendship to him. As far as the young woman was concerned, Jetfire was an enemy. Her fingers curled tightly around the ring Starscream had given her until her knuckles turned white. She felt betrayed that Jetfire hadn't trusted her enough to complete her personal mission "I was doing just fine holding my own, Jetfire," she hissed. "I didn't need you to come save my ass."

"Anna, it's not safe for you to be around him," he insisted. "You're lucky you didn't die in those nine days that you were there. I'm truly surprised that nothing bad has happened to you, considering Starscream is quite violent towards his slaves and minions."

"If he is so violent, then why are you still serving him?" Anna exclaimed.

"He's my brother … I have to protect him," he said in a stern voice.

"From what? Himself?" she demanded.

"If necessary, yes," Jetfire admitted shamefully. "I'm the only one who is looking out for him, Anna. I'm the only one he has left on his side."

"So that's why you decided to kill him?" she shouted. Anna slammed her uninjured hand into the controls. "If you cared about him like a brother, then you would've done the brotherly thing and helped him. You haven't done anything to help him. And when were you going to tell him that you _aren't_ a decepticon? Or were you going to keep deceiving him into thinking that you actually care about his safety? Either way, it was pretty cowardly of you not to tell him; especially considering that used to trust you like a brother." She folded her arms around her chest and huffed. "You and all the autobots are so – _so_ despicable."

"Anna you need to listen to me for on – "

"No!" she yelled. "I'm sick of listening. For once I want _you_ to _listen_ to _me_! I'm _so_ sick of no one understanding me when I speak. No one has been able to listen to me. _No one_!" '_Except him_.' "You all believe I have some problem that can be cured with medicines, but have you ever thought, maybe the problem is you guys?! I'm not losing my mind when I say that I'm the one without a problem. You guys cause the problems, and then I get caught up in them, and I have to pay the consequences for _your_ actions. It's _so_ unfair, Jetfire. I hate it! HATE! HATE! _HATE_!!!"

"But Anna, we know why you did it," Jetfire interjected. "Ironhide told us all about your plan."

'_But what he doesn't know, the rest of you don't know,_' she thought bitterly. "Oh, now did he?" Anna asked rhetorically. "What else did he tell you? That I take my coffee with two teaspoons of cream? That instead of doodling flowers, I doodle Cybertronian hieroglyphs? Hell, he might as well as told you everything personal about me."

"Anna, you're over-reacting," the mech said.

"No, I'm not!" she argued. '_I'm reacting just like any sane person would when they are taken away from their place in the world_.' "You are the ones who are over-reacting! You think I'm a god damned terrorist! I feel like I'm the only sane person left on this planet. I did more in my nine days with him than what you guys did in the last twenty thousand years. He was going to give me a high-ranking position among the decepticons, which I could then use to relay valuable information back to you. But no. I'm a human and incompetent of doing anything!" She peered out the window to see Jetfire rapidly descending towards the runway.

"Anna, please try to calm yourself down," Jetfire pleaded. "This kind of stress isn't good for you. You are still very weak."

"You're right this kind of stress isn't good," Anna retorted. "So why don't you get out of my fucking life, and let me do what I need to do. That'll eliminate that stress easily." She felt wheels slid over the concrete and became aware of the roar of his engines as he came to a smooth, textbook-landing stop. A NEST officer quickly wheeled over a ladder to the cockpit. Anna graciously stepped out of the cockpit. The smell of salt, sand, and ocean hit her nose like a wall. "You know what, Jetfire?" Annabelle asked as she stepped onto the ladder. "If the autobots lose this war, then they _deserve_ to lose it."

She pushed the NEST officer out of her way. She marched across the concrete, holding her head high and ignoring the stares from the humans and autobots who had over heard her last comment. She switched directions towards the advancing medical team. "Leave the fucking stretcher!" Anna ordered. "Let's just get this fucking exam over with. I want to go home as soon as possible."

"If you believe that you'll be leaving in a day or two, then you are gravely mistaken Miss Lennox," Galloway purred eagerly. He rolled up to her in tan hummer. He mercilessly glowered at the sixteen year-old. "Your schedule is going to be full for the next month, and if I get my way, the rest of your life."

"Good luck trying, asshole," she snapped. "'Cause you'll need it."

He stepped out of the vehicle to grab her by the arm. "I've read up on your profile, Annabelle," the politician spat. "And I don't know how you've gotten away with your stunts, but that stops. You will have to answer for all your crimes."

"I don't have to answer to anyone," Anna hissed. "I have the right to remain silent while I'm here, and that's just what I'm going to do." She jerked her arm away and continued to head towards the medical squad.

The edges of his lips twitched as he watched the girl. "Someone call, Mrs. Lennox," Galloway spoke. "Tell her that her daughter is under our custody until further notice."

"Yes, Sir!" chimed Graham.

* * *

'_Strange_,' she thought as she sat up on the medical berth. '_How all these people can be here and I still feel alone_.' Anna took a deep breath as the retinoscope's painful light passed over her pupils. She dribbles of water run down her face as they repeated the test.

"You're doing well, kiddo," the nurse said as she handed Anna a tissue. She gladly took it and wiped away the tears. "You're done for today, hun."

'_Today_,' Anna thought grimly. '_It means I have more tests to do tomorrow_.' She nodded her.

The latino nurse squeezed her hand comfortingly and smiled warmly at Annabelle. "You're very brave for having to endure the decepticons, and very lucky that you're alive. Not most who get caught by them come back alive."

'_Whoever said I was alive?_' she retorted mentally. '_I feel pretty dead on the inside_.'

"I wish my brother would've been as lucky as you, missy," the nurse rambled. Anna glanced up curiously and sadly at the forty-seven year-old. "You wouldn't know him, but your dad did. They were in the same regime. Fig. That was the nickname your dad gave him." Anna glanced away. She didn't like where this conversation was going. "He died in the initial strike against Scorponok, a lot of good men died that day…" The nurse turned her head towards the sound of anxious feet. "I think you have some visitors, Annabelle."

'_No, shit_.'

"Anna?" breathed her mother. She didn't have time to turn her head till she felt her mother gripping her. "Oh, my Anna," Sarah spoke softly. Her arms protectively cradled her daughter as she rocked softly back and fourth. Annabelle felt her mother's tears drip onto her forehead. "I've missed you so much, baby. I thought I would never get you back." Anna hesitantly patted her mother on the back. She didn't know what else to do in this situation. "I'm so sorry you had to endure that, Anna." Sarah planted her lips on her daughter's forehead. "I swear nothing bad will ever happen again to you."

'_It's okay, Mom_,' she thought. '_It wasn't that bad. It was actually refreshing_.'

She felt another pair of arms, stronger, wrapped around her. "Anna," choked her father. His graying-hair brushed her neck as he kissed her at the top of her neck. She could feel her father's arms shack as he gripped his _live_ daughter. Joyful teardrops splashed onto his uniform. God had finally answered one of his prayers, and luckily his most important prayer. His heart pumped blood faster than it ever had before in its life. Will's throat closed shut as a sob built up in his vocal cords. '_The worst is over_,' he told himself.

Anna winced as they forced pressure onto her injured rib. "Mom, Dad," she muttered. "I'm okay, but can – "

"You may want to be careful," Fig's sister spoke. "She does have a broken rib."

Both parents let go of their child, ashamed that they could've hurt her. "Thanks," Anna said, rubbing the side of her chest. "It's good to see you guys," she lied. She pulled her lips tightly together in a false smile. "I really missed seeing you. It feels good to be back on solid ground with you guys." Sarah used the bottom of her palm to wipe away the tears. "It feels good to be surrounded by family," she lied easily. "_Really_ good." Her eyes suddenly detracted away from her parents to the looming, faintly blue shadow on the far wall. It doesn't belong to a man. It belongs to a machine.

The deep azure mech bended down to catch a glimpse of the family, only to be disappointed when Anna stared at him blankly, like a deer in the headlights. The human doesn't appear to be scared, but she knows he isn't here for any good reasons. She easily read the unsaid words that floated in his diluted blue optics: _I'm sorry_.

"_I know_," she seemed to say with her own blue eyes. "_But it's not enough. It's not okay to come any closer."_

"Jolt," Lennox asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry for interrupting you and your mate, Major William Lennox." The sound of his Greek accented voice echoed off the naked walls with ominous clarity. "But Mr. Galloway is wanting to speak to Annabelle … in private." He glanced wearily towards Sarah. "He assured me it would be a quick meeting. Less than fifteen minutes."

Unshed tears began to build up behind Sarah's eyelids once again. "It'll be okay, Mom," Anna reassured. "I'll be right back. Maybe then we could eat dinner and talk then." Her mother softly nodded and watched painfully as Anna drifted towards Jolt's hand.

Jolt was like Sideswipe and Sunstreaker … physically. Instead of feet like Ironhide and Optimus, he balanced himself on two, not-so-black wheels … like the twins. The mechs' chest was wide with a narrow waist that models would envy. His car doors protruded awkwardly from his back, just like the twins; however, his hands were more delicately built for small, detailed work. The end of his fingers came to a small, dull claw. And unlike the twins, his face did not appear to be friendly, carefree, or human. The sharp edges of his alien face and three horn-like protrusions atop his head looked deadly.

He stared down, snobbishly at the human as she reclined against his fingers. How was it, that such a small human could cause so much stress? Anna avoided eye contact with the machine and stared nervously at the lines in his palm. Jolt could feel her muscles twitch anxiously. The minute twitches evolved into shakes. The human wrapped her arms around her chest as she felt her body betray her and shake. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the sob. She pulled her legs closer to her head to try to hide the pain.

"Anna?" he asked with slight worry. "Are you okay?"

'_No_,' she answered. "Yes, just remembering something is all."

He peeled his eyes away from her. The medical apprentice didn't need any elaborate explanations to guess what she was recalling. The mech had seen many young and old, unprepared and "prepared" 'bots return from decepticon clutches with memories too horribly to talk about or mention. He'd seen them throw violent fits when they heard someone mutter "decepticons". He'd seen a 'bot throw down another comrade, all because of a simple touch. He'd good 'bots, good friends completely destroyed after being held prisoner by the decepticons.

Many ignorant autobots offered their condolences to those unlucky enough to survive the decepticon death camps. "I'm so sorry," they would say, or, if they were really stupid, they would say, "At least it's over now." It was never over. No, when someone returned, it was just the beginning of a hard road to recovery. '_Is there even a recovery_?' Jolt asked himself. '_Or do you simply come to the point where you learn to hide your pain from everyone else, just so that they'll stop reminding you of what you went through?_'

But what Jolt thought Anna was reliving, was not close to what she was reliving.

It felt _so_ wrong to be in Jolt's hand, like she was violating some ancient treaty. She didn't feel safe curled around in his fingers; she felt like she was being carried to the butcher to be slaughtered. Anna didn't understand why she felt the way she felt; which only gave the sob in her throat more strength. She did understand that Jolt wasn't good … or good enough. His touch felt unnaturally warm to her. The human yearned for the seeker's cool touch against her hot skin and the sharp edges of his fingers. Her body missed the way Starscream's awkwardly built fingers would curl possessively around her. She knew, in his grip, he would never drop her. He may squeeze her to death, but he would never drop her or toss her aside like an old toy.

'_But he won't hold me again_,' she thought. '_I won't be seeing him anymore. There is no more Starscream. He's gone._' At that thought, her body cringed. She'd spent the last few hours focusing her energy on Jetfire, but now she had nothing to distract her restless mind. Only now was the she beginning to realize what she had left behind in Moscow. '_Gone_,' she repeated. It seemed too horrible to be real. '_He's gone. All because of them_.' Anna forgot to take a breath as the numbness of loneliness washed over her body. Unlike the Grinch, whose heart grew three times as large, hers shrunk three times its size. Anna felt the same pain as when she was dead return to her body. Everything was too loud once again and everything hurt _so_ much. She felt like tiny maggots were burrowing underneath her skin, stripping her of her energy. She had to open her eyes to tell show herself that what she felt was in her mind.

And she craved that warm, secure, fuzzy light. Annabelle wanted to crawl back into it, so that it would protect her from hell burning inside her mind. She wanted to return to the once place where she felt she belonged. She pined for the chance to feel the hot lightening zigzagging over her skin, instilling a deep assurance that everything will be okay.

"What's a spark?" Anna asked hollowly.

Jolt looked bewildered at the human. "It's our heart and soul," he replied snobbishly.

"I know that," she said, trying fruitfully to put anger into her words. "But _what_ is it?"

He took a deep breath for no reason other than to bid time. "That's a difficult question to answer," he said frankly. "We still don't know exactly what a spark is. It – it operates like a sun for the majority of its life, but there are instances when it breaks our, Cybertronian, laws of physics; which we can really only explain through religious understandings. Scientists, like Wheeljack, who studied the spark, say these unexplainable occurrences are because the spark is a multi-dimensional energy source. Because it is multi-dimensional, we may never be able to fully understand it until we can access those other dimensions. Does that make sense, Miss Annabelle?"

She nodded weakly.

There was a look on her face that said he hadn't answered her question, not completely. "Why did you want to know?" Jolt asked uncomfortably.

"A spark gives off mostly blue, almost violet light, doesn't it?" she asked. "And it looks like a bunch of tiny lightening bolts trapped inside a clear glass sphere, isn't it? Isn't the spark hot, but not hot like the sun but like a heating pad. It isn't that big either. Maybe 10 feet in diameter? Very small compared to your guys' size."

"How do you know this?" the young mech asked seriously.

Anna looked to her hands as they cradled something that wasn't there. If she tried hard enough, she could pretend to feel the blue sphere's warmth in her hand and see the low glow it emitted. A tiny, painful smile crawled onto her lips. '_I'll never feel that again_,' she told herself bluntly. She closed her eyes, forcing several tears to drip down her face. "Because when I died, I saw Starscream's spark." Annabelle turned onto her other side so that Jolt couldn't see her face. '_And it was the most beautiful thing I've ever had the pleasure to experience._'

Jolt had stopped walking. His optics strained to focus on the human. "You died?" he choked on the words. "Then who – "

"Twenty-two brought me back," she muttered weakly. "He didn't mean to kill me. I should've known better than to provoke him like that. But he brought me back. He took care of me, wrapped me up in bandages, and took care of me. Twenty-two watched me all night after that."

"There she is," spoke Galloway is a frustrated tone.

"Sir, I don't think this is – "

"Shut your mouth, alien," the director interrupted. He marched towards the pair in his pristine, neatly iron suit. His too tightly tied, yellow tie blew out of place. "I've waited too damn long to talk to this traitor." He stopped short of ten feet from the mech. "Unless you would like your privileges and guardianship over Major Graham revoked, I would highly suggest that you set Miss Lennox on the ground."

The mech reluctantly lowered Annabelle onto the ground. She unsteadily stood and refused to make eye contact with Theodore Galloway. "Good," he breathed impatiently. "Follow me." Like a tired puppy, Annabelle followed behind obediently to a room not fifteen yards away. Galloway closed the door behind them, to prevent any wandering ears from hearing their conversation. In the all white room was a black, stainless steel table with pair of matching ebony chairs on either side. Annabelle easily slid onto a chair while the grey-haired, badly aged director took a chair across from her. His once pretty green eyes had faded to an ugly shade of green and gray. He placed both elbows on the table, angrily leaning towards her.

"Long time, no see," Anna said unfriendly.

"Yes, indeed it has been, Miss Lennox," he stated coldly. "Apparently I've focused my energy on containing those wild aliens when I should've been focused on you. I don't know how you've gotten this far without being punished, but that ends here. I am going to try you and send you to jail for the rest of your natural life. I will personally make sure of that."

"You can't try me," she protested weakly.

"What?!" the director repeated.

"You can't try me," the girl repeated. "I'm not human, so you can't try me."

"You are too human," he pointed out.

"Not mentally," she retorted. Anna raised her head, wiping away her tears. "Mentally I'm Cybertronian, just ask Optimus. Technically, he has to try me."

"Now you're just trying to weasel your way out."

"No, I'm not," Annabelle lied. "I'm one of them. Ask any of them. I've been raised to be like them. I think like them, see things like them, and know their language. I am, very much one of them; only, I'm made out of flesh instead of metal."

"I don't believe you."

"Then you are an ignorant bastard."

"At least I'm not a traitor to my country," he boasted. "Now, you are going to give me all the information that you know about these decepticons, and maybe, just maybe, I'll send you to a prison here in the United States where you'll have human rights."

"I want my free call," Anna stated bluntly.

"You don't get a free call," he explained.

"Then I won't talk," she answered shortly. "Not until I get my call."

He pulled out his black, smart razor phone and slid it towards Annabelle. "One call," he spat.

"Get out then," Anna ordered. "I'll let you know when you can comeback."

He stormed out of his chair and opened the door. "Five minutes." Galloway raised his left hand to demonstrate how much time she had. "Then I'll come in and finish out conversation." He slammed the door shut.

She flipped open the phone, and her fingers quickly, desperately raced over the numbers. She brought the phone to her ear, where she could hear it ring. '_Please pick up my phone_,' she begged. The phone rang for a second time, and then a third. '_Please_.' As if an angel had answered her prayers, the person on the other line picked up the phone. She felt her heart falter. What was she to say? I'm sorry? It's not what you think? "Twenty-two?" she asked hesitantly. "You broke your promise. You told me I'd never be alone again, but here I am, surrounded by a bunch of strangers I don't know."

A long silence followed.

"Please, Twenty-two, say something." She placed the side of her banging head against the cool surface of the table. It felt just like _his _armor. "_Please_, I'm falling apart here and I don't know why."

No answer.

"I know you're mad at me, I would be too," Anna pleaded. "But I didn't want to leave you. I never wanted to leave you. If I had had it my way, I'd still be beside you right now in Moscow. Please, just say _something_, Twenty-two. I need to know you aren't just something of my imagination."

"_Annabelle_." It was screechy, hateful, angry, and blunt, but it was _his_ voice.

She took a deep breath. "Twenty-two," she breathed. "Will you come save me?"

"_No_." Her heart sank. "_You need to learn to deal with your own damn problems for once. You're back in their clutches. You should be telling them everything right now_."

"Please, just listen for once. I'm so tired of arguing and no one understanding me," she cried. "You're the only one who can listen and actual understand what I'm saying." Anna was beginning to hyperventilate. "I wasn't lying when I said you were turning my life around, Twenty-two. And I never got to tell you that I switched sides. I don't want to be on the autobot side anymore. I want to be on your side, standing next to you, serving under you." The hand holding the phone was beginning to shake. "I know I said I didn't trust you, and I don't, but I realize now I trust you more than I trust _them_. I feel so much safer in _your_ hands than in theirs." She tried to take a deep breath to calm herself.

"I don't know what went on between us, and what we had was horrible, abusive, savage, angry, hateful, pitiful, pathetic, and _amazing_. I can't explain it, but all I can see, hear, taste, and smell are the bad parts; however, what I feel is something amazing and _addicting_," she confessed. "I know it's only been a few hours, maybe six at most, but I'm missing you. I need you right now before I completely fall apart mentally." A small puddle of tears rested on the table. "_Please,_ I'm scared. Okay, I admit it. I'm _scared_. I want my guardian back. I need you right now. Twenty-two? Answer me, please?" she cried.

"_You should've thought about that before you betrayed me_," he snarled.

"I may have lied to you, but I _never_ betrayed you," she sobbed. "I never wanted any of this to happen. When I woke up, Jetfire was in the room. He told me that Mirage would spare Skywarp's life if Thundercracker told him where you were keeping me. So yeah … that's how Jetfire found me. So I locked myself up in the bathroom because I didn't want to see or argue with him anymore, and when I came out, you were back. I tried to ignore you by watching the TV, but Jetfire's glare was unnerving. It came to the point where I felt threatened, so I left the bedroom to come over to you.

"I can't explain my logic, but I felt safer being by you than Jetfire. And I liked it how you held onto me when Jetfire came into the room. I feel safe in your arms and hands; which is messed up since you killed me. But you brought me back and cared for me. Hell, you even took me out to see one of the greatest spectacles in human existence. And now I'm starting to realize you've taken better care of me than what any of the humans and autobots could have done. Please, believe me. This is _so_ hard for me right now," Anna confessed, swallowing her pride. "Please, I _love_ you."

The door ominously creaked open, and Galloway walked into the room. Anna watched weakly as the elderly man ripped the phone away from her slippery fingers. "Who the hell is this?" he asked impatiently. He slumped into the black chair, his limbs going numb. The phone fell out of his fingers and landed on the floor. The director's pale face turned an unhealthy shade of ghostly white. He stared frighteningly at the young woman in front of him.

Very faintly, she could hear Starscream's screechy voice on Director Galloway's phone warning them, "_You will all die_."


	26. Chapter 26

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** terribly sorry for the late update, but school, family, and studying for the ACT is slowly consuming me life. And this chapter will probably be the shortest chapter in this whole story.  
**Replies: **

**Pairings:** Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide

**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers © Hasbro.

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"What the hell is going on, Galloway?" Epps shouted as Galloway walked out of the room. "Do you purposely try to break up important moments between a family or is it simply because she was receiving more attention than you?" The director walked passed the technical sergeant as if he were only a bad thought crossing his mind. "Hey!" Robert Epps grabbed Galloway by the shoulders, knocking off his scarlet beret in the process. "I demand an answer from you."

The frail man stopped in his tracks, but didn't even try to look the sergeant in the eye. Instead, he looked bluntly through Jolt, as if what he had heard was just part of a _very_ bad dream. "That brat's boyfriend is coming to destroy the base," he spoke weakly, choking on the last words.

"Ironhide?" Robert Epps answered for himself. "But he's an autobot. He would never be that stupid to do that all because of a little break up."

"No," Director Galloway dismissed. "_Starscream_."

Only in extreme moments of confusion or excitement had Epps ever seen the autobots express emotion so clearly, but today he could add another one to the list: shock. Jolt's blue, now green with a teaspoon of yellow thrown in, optics expanded passed the proper barriers of his optical cavity and barely glowed. The alien's mouth parted three inches as he shook his head back and fourth. '_That's impossible_,' he tried to say, but his vocal processors were unresponsive. '_He's a – a_ '

"You're pulling my leg, Galloway," Epps snorted angrily. His callous fingers twisted the silver doorknob and yanked the door open. Anna turned her red eyes to Epps, looking as if all her energy had been sucked away by a leech. "Anna, why the hell is Galloway saying that Starscream is your boyfriend, and that he is coming here?"

"What did he say to you?" she asked desperately, peeping around Epps's body to see Galloway. Galloway uncomfortably craned his head to give Annabelle a glare that could rival Medusa's. She felt her whole body go still with fear. Suddenly, the human knew that the true killers were in front of her, ready for the order to execute her. The enemy was not the decepticons; they had never been the enemy. It was the humans and the autobots who so pitifully squirmed underneath fleshy orders that were the true enemy. She told herself to breath, but her lungs refused to inflate. It was like her insides were turning to stone.

"'We are all going to die,'" he hissed venomously. Galloway slithered his way towards Annabelle. Her heart jumped in rhythm with the clinking of his ebony shoes against the unforgiving, cold floor. Anna was half expecting his wrinkled skin to expand into a cobra's hood. "And if we do, then it will you be your fault, Miss Lennox. Any lives that are lost will be on your slate for the rest of your life." He breathed his tuna fish sandwich breath onto her face. "You will be the reason why innocent men die in vain today."

"They don't have to die," Anna argued. "He doesn't want to kill them. The only one he wants dead is me, asshole. Now, if you don't tell my parents, I'm sure I'd be able to bargain my life for all these pathetic lives here. Granted, he will want some higher form of payment – the last Allspark fragment to be specific."

"Anna!" Epps cried out in protest.

Galloway leaned towards Annabelle. "How do you know this?" he demanded.

Anna raised her injured left hand to show him the scab on her palm. "I'm not at liberty to disclose that information," she said neutrally, trying frantically to hold her own ground. "But I can assure you that he will agree to those terms. If you don't negotiate with him, then he'll just barge in here, kill many men, and take what he wants. If you don't negotiate, then you will be the one with all those deaths on your conscious for the rest of your life and beyond, Galloway." She snorted and took a brave step forward. "It's bad enough that the media knows of your sexual affair with a young woman. You don't want to add this little stunt to your list of sins do you, Galloway. Just think of how bad that would look in the mainstream media."

"You're nothing but a slim ball like your father," Galloway retorted.

"Really?" she asked mockingly. "Some would call what I'm doing heroic. After all, I'm sacrificing my life to save _yours_." She pressed her index finger sharply into his chest. "You should be on your knees, thanking me, but again, you're nothing but a selfish, lonely old man who abuses his power. You're so insecure and weak that there is no word to describe your patheticness." Galloway backed away, reassessing the problem child in front of him. "I don't understand how you could live in a world were you think of only yourself. Well, let me tell you. My world is bigger than your goddamn problems, and it's a lot bigger than me." She stared at him, growling with her eyes. Anna's shoulders bristled and raised her head smugly. She had no pity for the old man. "But you'll _never_ understand what it means to give yourself up to a higher cause or to care for something that is more important than you."

Galloway's chest rose and fell as he began to laugh. How stupid did the girl think he was? He'd fought all his life get to this position just to be bullied by some brat. With his hand, he combed through his thin, white hair. "Oh girl, you must really be delusional if you think I'll hand you and one of the most valuable energy sources over to the enemy," he chuckled. "If anything, your determination makes me wonder why you would want to hand yourself over to him? Is it because he's gonna spare you from what you deserve?" He circled around, allowing his side to brush her shoulder. Anna's head fell submissively and closed her eyes to shield the truth. "So, I take that as a yes?" he asked with a smirk.

'_How can I be this easy to read?_' she asked herself frustratingly.

"Well," he spoke calmly, business-like. He ran his boney fingers along the bottom of her jaw, seizing her chin. Anna shuddered at his touch. She felt violated as he forcefully raised her head and drew her eyes to his face. "Since you don't consider yourself human, then I will have no problem sending you to Hell on Earth to extract that information." She could see his sinister smile behind his eyes. Galloway was enjoying this power more than he should. "I'm sure they'd love to have you there."

"I have human rights," she growled. "You can't torture me or else you'll have all the human rights activists wanting to hang you."

He tightened his grip. "You can't play for both sides, girl," Galloway informed bitterly. "You're either human or not, so which is it?"

"Anna!" Epps shouted. "Don't listen to this asshole. You don't have to go along with his games because he's going to be fired for violating protocol." He walked around her back, protectively placing both his hands on her shoulders. He narrowed his dark chocolate eyes on Galloway, silently daring the director to just try and separate her from him. "He's just delusional and out to get you because he's jealous of your father. He's just messing with your mind."

Anna turned her head to glimpse at "Uncle" Epps. She placed her uninjured hand on top of his. "I appreciate what you're doing for me, Epps," she spoke in a calm voice. He looked down at her, smiling. "But the truth is, Galloway sees the truth. He's not fooling himself like you guys have fooled yourself. You shouldn't be mad at him, because he's doing what's right for this country and world. He's trying to protect you from me." She could no longer look at Epps's grave and confused face. Anna gently lifted his strong hand off her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, the human could look at Galloway without feeling fear in her heart. It felt good to be telling the truth for once. "And I _am_ good, Epps. I realize this now; however, what I have to do in order to be "good" will make me seem "bad." Please, know we aren't on opposite sides. I _don't_ want to be your enemy.

"In order for both of us to be good, Epps, we'll _have to_ be enemies. Your duty is to protect this country, but my duty is to ensure my species will not die. Unfortunately, this world harbors what we need to save our species." A nervous smile seeped onto her face. "It's ironic really how two heroes are forced to be enemies. Sad too. Heroes shouldn't be forced to kill other heroes, but I guess that's life in a nutshell: heroes kill other heroes to do what's right according to them." She stepped away from Epps's protective hands and from a fake world that she had tried so hard to blend into. Anna held out her wrists for Galloway.

If this, what she was feeling – uneasiness, fear of the future, and surrounded on all sides by predators – was the real world, then she was glad she had been brave enough to break away from the humans' blissfully ignorant world. '_At least_,' she told herself. '_I know what the world looks like_.' Anna narrowed her eyes on Galloway. He was such a tiny shrimp who probably couldn't survive a good punch. '_How pathetic that the autobots allow themselves to be controlled by him_,' she thought pitifully. Annabelle, confident she could take care of herself against Galloway, gave him the same, hated looked he had given her so many times.

"You want to know what happened, Galloway?" she hissed. "I found something more valuable than this world, and he showed me what I never wanted to feel, see, and hear. I fought him, defending this miserable existence that humanity has created. I fought and defended you guys!" She pointed to Jolt and then Galloway. "I did everything I possibly could to ignore what he was saying. I fought him because I didn't want him to be right. I _wanted_ to be right. I wanted to believe that he was delusional. I _really_ wanted too. But now, I can see what he wanted me to see, hear, and feel. I've opened my eyes for the first time, and all I see are the lies that bind her together. Well, I won't be bounded by your lies anymore! I _refuse_ to live in a world like this!" She took another step forward, clenching her fists. "I may die, but at least I'll die with my eyes open to the truth." She held her head proudly for the first time. Adrenaline pumped through her body as she realized the words she had spoken came from her soul. With a sleazy smirk, she put both of her hands on her hips. "Director Galloway, I am proud to say that I am a _decepticon_."


	27. Chapter 27

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** so while writing this chapter, I came across the most inspirational music. It's from a band called Lydia. They have the best lyrics I've ever come across. They are really deep, and the music they are played to is beautiful. I highly recommend you check them out. You won't be disappointed.

Just, don't listen to some of their sadder songs while reading this chapter.

**Replies: **

ILY STORY!!! 3: That first sentence pretty much sums up what I felt when Anna admitted it. I like Scranna. xD It sounds screechy just like their relationship, lol. Thanks for the review! Hopefully this chapter will live up to your expectations.

**Pairings:** Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide

**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers © Hasbro.

"_This is com-link speak_."

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The ocean was incredibly relaxing.

Ironhide hadn't understood until now why the humans were so infatuated with its healing qualities. He had adjusted to the feel of water swarming inside the tiny gaps of his body, and was actually enjoying the feel of the ocean's sand washing through him as he walked along the ocean floor. His optics radiated light in a place where light had not been seen for thousands of years. Enthralled fish would drift in front of his optics to catch a glimpse at the light before swimming onwards. Ironhide would watch them until the creatures disappeared from his sight. They continued on their lives, forgetting in a few seconds about their encounter with an alien. If forgetting came so easily to him, then he wouldn't be here in this god forsaken place.

Despite the cold waters, the autobot felt overheated. Hidden deep inside his chest, sealed away in a gray chamber, his spark pulsed _too_ rapidly for his health. One surge after another plagued his systems, nearly overloading his circuits with energy. No matter how much he wanted to overload and fall into unconsciousness, his spark wouldn't produce enough energy to send him over the edge. It was torment being on the edge, wanting and waiting to fall off. Instinctively, Ironhide took a deep breath of salt water to cool his systems, but it didn't stop him from faltering and losing his footing. The sand cushioned his fall, and a cloud of dispersed sand engulfed his body. He made no effort to open his optics, when he knew he would only see darkness.

The soldier deactivated his chronometer, audio sensors, and pressure sensors. With simple commands, he had made the outside world disappear. As far as he was concerned, the only world left was the one he desperately hung onto; even though, he knew it was _already _out of his grasps. The idea of letting go was more frightening than any foe he had faced on the battlefield. He didn't want to return to the state he had been in after Chromia's death but before he met Annabelle. Ironhide didn't desire to become someone who lived only to fight, so that he could live another day to remember what had been. In that state, there was no purpose to live. There was nothing but _darkness_.

Darkness led to desperation. Desperation then led to irrational thoughts. Irrational thoughts led to joining to the decepticons. And he knew he didn't want to end up among the decepticons. He didn't want to be part of the sick cycle that had stolen his brothers-in-arms from him. He didn't want to end up being the one to end another friend's life. Ironhide couldn't allow himself to go down that road, but …

At least in his memories there sunshine, warmth, hope, and love. It didn't matter to him that what he felt was fake. Those memories shielded him from the blackness that had enveloped his life and kept all the boogey-men at bay. Just like a child who is forced to sleep without his nightlight for the first time, Ironhide could only wait out the darkness and hope that the sun would rise soon. His body shuddered as a cold thought swept through his mind: Starscream, for the _second_ time, had extinguished his nightlight. Once again, the traitorous seeker had stolen the life of a dear companion, but this time, it had happened right before his eyes.

'_Why couldn't I see what he was doing to her?_' he asked himself painfully. '_I'm suppose to protect her from things like him. Why couldn't I have protected her like I did with Sam in Mission City? Maybe Sunstreaker was right … Maybe I am baggage for the rest of the team._' He felt, somewhere in his spark, his pride deflate. '_Shit. I've made them suffer just because I couldn't see passed my own agenda. No wonder Prime ever let me go head-to-head with the seekers. He knew, they knew … seems everyone else knows me so much better than myself._'

"So what you gonna do, 'Hide?" The husky, feminine voice was enough of stop all coherent thoughts. His mind brought forth a picture of the chunky, heavily built femme squatting beside him. She placed her teal hands over her knees, looking at him with a down-to-earth, god-honest stare. "You gonna stay down there and let a femme kick your ass?" He want to say "_no_" to the memory of Chromia, but the fear that her ghost might disappear if he spoke silenced him. "C'mon 'Hide, get up. It looks bad if the weapon specialist loses to a femme. I can already hear the twins' taunts." The femme smiled, offering her hand to him. "I'll stripe you of your canons if you don't take my hand, brother."

After several quiet moments, she sighed. She sat down on the sand and placed a hand on his shoulder. With the deepest blue eyes he had ever seen, Chromia sympathetically looked down at him. "Are you going to speak to me?" she asked hesitantly.

"You aren't real," he told himself sourly. "You're just a figment of my processors – a glitch gone crazy. I'll I'm really doing is having a conversation with myself."

"If that is true," Chromia said. "Then I can promise you that this will be one of the best conversations of your life." She gently cupped her hand around his chin and lifted up his head. "Activate your optics, brother. You need to wake up and realize that this world you've created for yourself isn't good for you. It's very unhealthy."

He could smell the scent of burning energon drifting off her body, and feel the heat radiating from her, as if she had just gotten done training. '_How can a memory feel this real and not be real?_' Ironhide asked himself. "Why should I wake up when I have nothing to look forward to in the morning? I like this world that I live in … its _beautiful_."

"It's _fake_, brother," Chromia insisted. "You're living a lie, and if you keep lying to yourself, you'll end up dying." She pressed her forehead against his and breathed in his salty scent. "I don't want you dead, brother. We don't need anymore good soldiers dead," she spoke frankly in a soft voice. "There are _too_ many dead as it is." She wrapped her free hand around his head and pushed him closer. "Don't throw your life away for a femme. You have _too_ much to live for than just something as silly as that. She's bad for you anyway. She's bad for everyone around her."

"Anna isn't – "

"Open your eyes, Ironhide!" she lectured sternly. "Annabelle _isn't_ good. She _is_ bad, _very_ bad. She's a poison, a weapon designed to destroy you and the autobots. That's why you need to open your optics and see that she is nothing but a decepticon made of flesh. Please, see through her lies. She's a killer, brother, and she will kill you if you don't open your optics!" Chromia's optics were pleading with Ironhide. '_Please, I don't want you dead. I won't have you dead like me_,' she thought to herself. She firmly grabbed hold of his helm and shook it even more. Desperation drove her actions. "Look at me! Look at me, Ironhide!" she screamed. "LOOK. AT. ME."

He couldn't ignore his sister. _Desperate_ to see that was he was feeling was real, he opened his optics.

There, staring straight at him was _nothing_. His spark took a fateful plunge at the sight of the _nothingness_. Where was she? Where in Primus' name was she?! He pushed himself off the ground, kneeling, and looked around for a sign that she had been real – that what he had just felt was _real_. There wasn't even a whisper of her voice to calm him. Standing on wobbly legs, Ironhide gazed out onto the underwater wasteland. He slowly surveyed the land, not finding a shred of life. The soldier's head dropped and he stared at his chest. How could it be that his spark told him that it was real but none of his sensors confirm it? '_Maybe Ratchet was right. Maybe it is just a glitch inside my processors._'

"_Open your optics_," repeated her memory of her voice. "_See through her lies_."

"No," he firmly told himself. "I won't give into this insanity." Ironhide looked upwards with a tightly pulled face. "This is all just inside my head." It was a pathetic attempt to lie to his spark. Not even a sparkling would believe his lie. He took a deep breath, not really soothing anything. "It's all inside my head," he spoke soberly. "I know it is." Ironhide brushed his hand over his helm and traced the seams of his armor with his dull, brutish fingertips. A scowl grew across his face as he faced a decision he didn't want to make.

"Ironhide!" Chromia's voice shouted. In the distance he could see her pale form, looking at him. "Don't do it," she ordered. The femme hastily walked towards him. The sand muffled all sounds made by her feet, while the water amplified the clicking made by her moving parts. "You're being irrational, brother. Go back. Ratchet will make you better. _Now_."

"You're just inside my head," he told the ghost. "And I will _make_ you go away _indefinitely_." Chromia's ghost continued to stare at Ironhide, even as he looked through her. "Sometimes it takes a decepticon practice to stop oneself from becoming a decepticon."

"You can't just delete me. I'm _part_ of you, Ironhide," Chromia argued bitterly. "I'm too deeply engraved n your processor for you to remove me."

Ironhide, on this rare occasion, smirked. "The decepticons thought the same thing about Skywarp after his incident, but look at him now. He functions perfectly, fights bitterly until the end, and doesn't question anything. He takes his orders and performs them flawlessly. He just lives on like nothing ever happened." The soldier looked to the ghost. "Prime doesn't need someone weighted down by his past. He needs someone who can function and do what needs to be done."

"Ironhide," she spoke, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't do this."

"This is out of both of our hands," he said soberly. "This is something I have to do if the autobots are to win the war." He grimly looked at her. "It's the only solution to this problem." The soldier pressed his forehead against the ghost's forehead, and wrapped his arms around the femme. "I don't want to forget either of you, or any of this for the matter, but I have to. I have no choice in the matter. If I'm to see through all these lies, then I have too." He paused for a moment, trying to recollect his last thoughts. "When I die, we can all laugh this whole stunt off together, okay? You, me, and Anna."

"We won't laugh this off because you won't remember, and Annabelle will be going to the Pit," Chromia stated bluntly.

He tightened his grip around the ghost. "Don't be pessimistic," Ironhide replied. "There are too many damn pessimists alive."

"I'm not being pessimistic," the femme combated. She lifted her head up to truthfully look at Ironhide. "I'm just your rational side you've kept buried, so that you could live blissfully without seeing Annabelle's lies." He took a step back, disgusted with the ghost. "I'm everything you've been scared of admitting was true about her, the autobots, the decepticons, and the war." Ironhide stared wearily at the ghost and stood guarded as Chromia continued to speak. "I'm your fear, your logic, your demons, your good and bad angels on your shoulder … I am part of you. That's why you can't get rid of me, brother. If you get rid of me, then you're getting rid part of yourself. So please, don't change your memories, because then I'll disappear." She stepped forward and placed a finger on his chest. "Everything you are will change. For all we know, you could end up becoming a decepticon. You could become the next Megatron. Do you really want to chance that, brother?"

Without looking down or a teaspoon of hesitation, Ironhide said flatly, "Yes." Chromia's face melted at the devastating, single word. Her face sunk, optics dimmed, and her mouth was a gap with a lack of answer. "It's a necessary evil that I have to do if I'm to be of any help. And becoming a decepticon will just be a risk I have to take. This is war after all, and we all have to sacrifice something in order to win it. It just happens to be that some of our sacrifices are bigger than others."

"You're wrong, brother," Chromia stated. "_So, so_ wrong." She took a deep, stressful breath. "May Primus watch over your spark because you'll need his guidance for where you are going."

"Thanks for the confidence," he snorted sarcastically.

"I just don't want you to regret this in the end," she said frankly.

"How can I regret something when I won't remember what it felt like before I made this decision?" he questioned coldly.

"Because the others will remember," Chromia explained. "They'll explain to you your life before this decision. Then you'll dream about how good it is. And finally you'll end up wondering why you ever destroyed it."

"That'll just be another risk I'll have to take," he said.

"Well then," Chromia replied with a snide tone to her voice. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Ironhide growled angrily.

"I'm sorry that you let yourself be ruined by a _corrupt_ human, brother" she attempted to say in a semi-civil manner voice. As she blinked, her body vanished into the nothingness. Her optics lingered longer than anything, so that they could silently say an informal good-bye to Ironhide; but the optics transformed, becoming part of a passing by, bioluminescent fish. But inside his spark, he still felt her lingering presence, watching and waiting for his next move.

* * *

They flew low over the ocean's calm surface, lower than what was comfortable for Thundercracker's liking. It wasn't that he was insecure about his flying skills – oh no, he was, like his commander, overconfident in his flying skills, probably more than what was healthy. He was, however, uncomfortably with leaving Skywarp behind in a tiny shack in the middle of nowhere … unattended, and in a fragile, he's-barely-able-to-speak state. It had taken physical force from Starscream before he left his bond-mate; even still, Thundercracker lightly considered turning around and abandoning the mission all together. It was a suicide mission anyway. There was no way that they could actually accomplish what Starscream had planned. No way. But his ever optimistic, overly confident brother seemed convinced otherwise. '_As always_.'

As if Starscream knew what "traitorous" and plain "distasteful" thoughts his brother was thinking, he banked a hard left into Thundercracker. The blue-tinted, cameo jet swerved to avoid his wings being clipped by his commander. "_What the hell was that for, Screamer?_" Thundercracker snarled a little too angrily. "_Are you trying to lower your chances at this plan succeeding on purpose or have your flying skills dramatically decreased because of the squishy's absence?_"

"_Ha ha, Thundercracker. That was hilarious. I doubt I'll be able to control my laughing because of how fucking hilarious it was_," Starscream mocked over the frequency. He effortlessly glided over till his vehicule's shadow blanketed Thundercracker's earthly disguise. "_I could have both of my wings cut off and one of my boosters missing, and I would still out best you in a display of aerospace maneuvering abilities._" To reinforce his statement, the seeker deliberately accelerated so that his exhaust washed over Thundercracker's body. "_Now_," he said, more like shouted, sternly. "_Stop complaining about Skywarp. He's a tough soldier and doesn't need you by his side every fucking klick. If you focused on this mission like you do his health, then we might get to return to base earlier._"

'_Or we might not_,' he objected quietly to himself. 'We could end up in the autobots' prison, waiting to be tortured, then melted down for energon. Then Skywarp would rust away on this pathetic place or become an experiment for the fleshies like Megatron. There's a lot more that can go wrong, you fucking piece of – '

"_It's time to put our petty differences aside, Thundercracker. You will be leading the Russian, Japanese, and Iranian air forces in the initial strike. The Iraqis will then provide you with enough cover, so that you may land and seek out the Lennox child,_" he explained matter-of-factly. "_I'll then lead the second attack with the North Koreans, Pakistanis, Venezuelans, and Chinese. I will target sector thirty-four and retrieve the Allspark fragment. After I retrieve the fragment, you and I will take our appropriate leave_ – "

'_More like retreat_,' Thundercracker thought.

"_While we're heading back to base, we'll allow the humans to destroy themselves and wage war on one another_," Starscream continued. "_At the same time, Barricade should be returning with Sam Witwicky and Bumblebee's head_."

"_What of the Lennox child?_" Thundercracker asked.

"_What of her?_" Starscream retorted sorely.

"_Do you want her dead or alive?_" he asked neutrally, trying not to get upset over his commander's tone of voice.

"_What kind of ridiculous question is that, Thundercracker?_" Starscream insulted. "_I want her dead. Unalive. Unbreathing. No beating heart. Nada life_." He seemed flustered by the question, and accelerated further to disguise the weakness. The seeker 's wings subtly shook in the wind from his rage. '_How dare he insinuate that I'd want her any other way but dead!_' he thought. '_He should know by now I don't let traitors live. All traitors deserve is death._' He soared upwards to join the approaching squadron of fighter jets. '_And she's the worst kind of traitor_.' Starscream domineeringly took his place among the front of the squadron. He took a moment to savor the feeling of once again leading an offensive striking force against the autobots. His spark swelled with happiness. This, leading, was his place in the world. He knew it now, better than ever. There was no substitution for this kind of raw confidence. In the wrong hands, it could make a leader delirious and ignorant to the flaws in his plans. "_Thundercracker_," he barked. "_I do not want her body. I just want her head. You can leave the remains for any survivors unlucky enough to live through our hell storm._"

"_Affirmative, mi'lord_," Thundercracker reported. The seeker veered left, allowing his wing tip to grace through the ocean spray. His sensors detected his squadron flying together towards Diego Garcia. The aircrafts unusual stiffness in the air increased Thundercracker's worries that this mission, like so many others, would end in failure. How were they supposed to defeat the autobots with pilots who barely knew how to fly appropriately? Granted, the aircraft packed enough ammunition, but without the proper training, the fleshy pilots, might as well commit suicide bombing. '_It'd be more effective_,' Thundercracker thought bitterly to himself. '_And 'cause fewer problems in the future_.'

The seeker gracefully glided over the top of the aircrafts, surveying the pilots inside the cockpits. A few distracted pilots quickly glanced away to catch a glimpse of their temporary air commander. "_Don't look at me!_" he barked to them through the human radio frequency. "_If you don't focus on your damn target, then you'll end up shot down by the autobots._" Thundercracker found a snug place between the two leading aircraft to fly. "_You fleshies will carry out this plan without any complains. Any complaints, and I will shoot you down right on the spot_." The seeker waited for retaliation from one of the pilots, so that he could prove that he meant business; however, either the pilots were smarter than what he gave them credit for or too scared to speak because there was no reply to his threat. "_I will lead the initial attack with the Russians. Then you Japs will follow through and provide air cover for me as I land. Then you Iranians will focus on destroying the main buildings and their escape routes. From there, the Russians will target the ground forces. Once I retrieve what we're after, then you will take commands from your squishy superiors. Affirmative?_"

"_Yes, Sir_," replied the Russian pilot leader neutrally.

"_Japs? Iranians?_" Thundercracker questioned irritably.

"_Affirmative,_" they replied hastily in unison.

"_We're ready to strike on your command, mi'lord Starscream_," Thundercracker informed.

"_You may begin the strike then, Thundercracker_," Starscream answered. "_And remember, I want her dead. I will not have her in any other state or you will be the one to pay the price._"

"_As you wish, brother_," he said quickly. Thundercracker broke away from the pack to transform. He could hear the humans' astonished gasps at the marvel of a jet transforming into something much more frightening. Vapor trails trailed behind the sharp edges of his armor, standing out in the crisp, clear sky. He rolled onto his back and personally glared at each of the leading pilots. "_Begin executing the plan, you pathetic fleshlings_," he growled. Thundercracker, true to his name, shook the atmosphere with his signature loud, thunder-cracking boom! The force was great enough that the waves on the ocean were affected and became larger from the transfer of energy. He was sure by now the humans and autobots on Diego Garcia were aware of their presence.

"_So how's the mission going, Teecee?_" Skywarp asked weakly through their private frequency.

Thundercracker was sure that if it weren't for the need to maintain his violent reputation among the humans, he would've dropped out of the sky with a shocked expression. "'Warp!" he criticized harshly. He didn't know whether he was more mad at his bond-mate for not following his medical orders or happy because he was strong enough to contact him."_What are you doing talking! You're supposed to be recharging!_"

"I hate recharging," he grumped. "_It's a stupid way to pass time anyway. So how is the fucking mission going? You slain any fucking squishies? How many are dead?_"

"_We haven't killed any, 'Warp_," his bond-mate responded. "_We're just now readying out attack against them._"

"_What the hell is taking so fucking long that you haven't finished the fucking mission?_" he questioned. "_Oh wait, it's fucking Screamer. He takes so fucking long to do things. If Megatron were alive, then we'd have this fucking mission fucking finished and be on our way back to Cybertron. God, I wish Megs was still alive._"

"_Don't let Screamer know how you feel_," Thundercracker warned. "_If he hears that, then we'll both be dead._"

"_Oh, fuck Screamer_," Skywarp replied nastily. "_He's just a pathetic excuse for a fucking leader. Not to mention he's the fucking bond-mate to that traitorous Skyfire. I don't know why Megs ever gave him such a fucking high position. It's not like he's done anything fucking important, other than butcher all our fucking missions. He's a fucking failure, Thundercracker, and he deserves to have someone tell him that in his fucking face_."

"'_Warp, we don't need any more problems,_" Thundercracker chided. "_I know you don't like. I certainly don't agree with his methods, but for now we have to go along with him. At least until Megatron is revived and can put that geeky Starscream in his place_." He glanced down to see Diego Garcia within his firing range. He sighed, hating how time seemed to pass so quickly between them. "_I have to go, 'Warp. I suspect the slags are going to open fire soon on us. Promise me you'll recharge until I return._"

He could hear Skywarp groan on the other end of the frequency. "_Fine_," he breathed. "_Just kill a few fucking humans in honor of me, 'kay?_"

"_I'll do my best, 'Warp_," he said with a grim smile.

"_That's my boy!_" he replied excitingly before the frequency became quiet.

"_We're ready to descend_," the Russian pilot relayed to Thundercracker.

"_Then begin descent_," he ordered. "_The quicker we get this done, the quicker we _all_ get to come home._" The decepticon scanned the island and took notice of the autobots lining up outside the building. The variety and different colors spanned the rainbow. They had their weapons ready as, like himself at the current moment, they scanned their enemy. He twisted his head thirty-five degrees to see the pilots scrambling towards their fighter jets. "_Iranians, speed up and take out the American pigs before they get into the air. And if you see a black SR-71, alert either me or Lord Starscream. We'll take care of him personally_."

He rolled in the air and took a deep breath to rid himself of the uneasy feeling in his spark. The seeker honestly couldn't remember when the last time he hadn't gone into battle without his bond-mate beside him. He realized, without Skywarp's jerky, cocky behavior to wipe away his fear that his doubts grew. So much could go wrong. If he didn't land just right, then one of the autobots could blow off one of his wings or engines. If he didn't keep a vigilant eye, then an autobot could sneak up on him, and there would be nothing he could do. If things started to go wrong, then there would be no Skywarp to teleport them to a safe place. If Starscream got in over his head, then it would be his, not Skywarp's, to bail their leader out of the hole he dug himself. If he couldn't find the girl, then –

Thundercracker felt the heat of a plasma blast brush over his right wing. The blast forced the seeker to ignore his nagging thoughts and to focus on the mission. His lips pulled back into a furious, primitive (even by his standards) snarl. "_Let's go!_" he howled over the frequency. "_Move it Russians! I'm not going to wait on you any longer!_" He lifted his right hand and took aim at the scrambling autobots. In rapid-fire succession, Thundercracker unleashed three missiles. He watched dismally as two of the missiles missed the pink autobot Arcee, but smirked as the third one made contact. Within several seconds, he felt the Russian missiles speed passed him. He'd seen autobots cowardly turn away from a fight, but never once in his many years as soldier, had he seen the autobots chaotically retreat. The gray shores burned intense white for several crucial moments; then the white light faded to yellow, orange, and red flames. The fences that guarded the facility melted from the high temperatures. Where there was once sand, was only burnt rock and abstract pieces of glass.

Confident that the autobots were scared like trapped rats, Thundercracker landed on the searing shore. In response to the heat, his wings bristled to avoid the full force of the heat. He took a few moments to idly watch the buildings erupt into flames. In between the roar of the flames and snarling airplane engines, the seeker could hear the scared humans yelling and the stupid humans barking out orders. From the side of his optics' view, he spotted a shadow moving among the flames. The cool colors of the armor stood out amongst the flames. The seeker transformed his hand into a rapid-fire machine gun. As soon as he lifted his hand to take aim, it was flung back into his face. The decepticon stumbled backwards, barely regaining his balance. Snarling, Thundercracker attempted to take aim again, but his time was cut short as Jolt rushed forward and kicked his hand.

Thundercracker howled at the sudden attack. Jolt jumped on top of the seeker and pinned him firmly to the ground. "I'm so tired of your decepticon bullshit," he muttered through his battle mask. The autobot lifted one hand and transformed the said freehand into a short, plasma-powered sword. The edges and section glowed eerily white with a faint accent of blue. "I can't wait for the day when we eradicate the last of your savageness from the universe." Jolt glared hatefully down at the seeker. "You don't deserve this fate. It's going to easy on your despicable kind." The edges of Thundercracker's mouth pulled into a seething scowl. "You deserve to live forever so that you can endure the kind of torture you did to my comrades." He raised the sword higher, preparing to strike Thundercracker in the chest. "May Primus ha – "

The autobots toppled over onto the ground, unconscious. His chest burned with the signature smoke from a null-ray blast. Thundercracker looked up to see his brother passing by him. "_You'd better do better than that, Thundercracker_," Starscream commented bitterly. He pushed himself off the ground, glaring angrily at his commander. He took a deep breath and let the incident slid off. Arguing with Starscream over who the better fighter was would have to wait till later.

The seeker marched wearily through the flames with the intentions of not having another Jolt-like accident. He touched the outside of the first burning building and pressed lightly against the crumbling wall. He quickly backed away at the eerie sound of crackling and crumbling. He turned his head away as the wall and roof of the building collapsed. Dusted and soot rained down on the sentient beings like rain. Thundercracker cautiously walked into the burning ruins. His head shot up at the sound of another building tumbling to the ground. '_Shit_,' he thought. "_Target only the enemy! If anymore buildings are destroyed, then we run the chance of the mission failing, dumb twats!_" The sight of a jet becoming swallowed by the ocean distracted his optics.

"GOT ONE!" Cliffjumper screamed excitingly in the distance.

'_Gotta hurry_,' yelled that doubtful voice inside his processors. '_Gotta hurry now, Teecee!_'

"And I found another one!" Sunstreaker yelled, his voice too close for comfort.

"Ditto!" sounded off Sideswipe.

Through the smoke, he could detect the twins standing at the other end of the collapsed building. "We can see you!" Sunstreaker sang happily. "And you have no where to go." The yellow mech strutted forward with his sub machine, plasma gun armed and aimed at the seeker. It surprised the seeker to see the yellow twin with no marks on his armor. It still gleamed flawlessly and reflected the fires off its shiny surface. Thundercracker stood still, his eyes focused on Sideswipe. The red twin raised a machine gun to the seeker, smiling maliciously at their prize. "Where's your buddy today, Thundercracker?" Sunstreaker asked. "Did he decide to stay home like a coward or was Mirage simply too much for him to handle?"

Thundercracker narrowed his orange, death gaze on the arrogant autobot. No one insulted his spark-mate., especially a filthy autoslag. "_Designation: droid oh-oh-two. Command: eliminate Sunstreaker_," he informed. The blue mech lifted his head smugly in the air and smirked boldly.

"What are you so god damn happy about, asshole?" Sunstreaker asked sourly.

"This," Thundercracker replied assertively. His wicked smile grew as he watched the scene unfold. Sideswipe shifted the position of his aim and placed the hot-ended section of his machine gun against the middle of Sunstreaker's back. Sunstreaker's optics enlarged, as the first sound of multiple rounds being fired entered his audio sensors. His internal diagnostic systems had only half a second to analyze the damage before he fell to the floor. The yellow mech's lively blue optics stared off distantly into another world. The color drained from his optics and turned a ghostly, ash gray. His body sunk and relaxed for the last time. Thundercracker took a step forward and looked down on the young mech. Perfectly circular holes dotted his back and went straight through his chest. A tiny, dying glow emitted from the spark chamber as his spark fought to stay alive. The seeker lifted his foot and crushed Sunstreaker's chest to insure his spark would never glow again.

The seeker removed his foot and stared sympathetically down at the young 'bot. "I'm sorry, young one," he breathed genuinely. "You shouldn't have to die for Prime's war." He bent down and carefully lifted the crushed the spark chamber. He cupped it in his hands like a small child. "But at least you're safe now, young one." His closed his optics and bowed his head. Everything in his spark told him that this, holding the spark chamber of a young one, was wrong. It violated every code of honor programmed into his processors. '_This isn't your job_,' the doubtful voice in his head murmured. '_This isn't what you are supposed to do. This is wrong._' He solemnly opened his optics. "He is my enemy," Thundercracker told himself. "He's not the same as he first was when he was spawned." He charily tucked the remains of the spark chamber inside his chest compartment.

He tore his attention away from Sunstreaker's remains and focused on the Sideswipe droid standing in front of him. "Oh-oh-two," Thundercracker ordered. The droid looked up at his superior with soulless eyes. "_Objective: search files for Annabelle Leann Lennox_."

"_Objective completed: files of Annabelle Leann Lennox located_," it responded.

"_Objective: relay coordinates of Annabelle Leann Lennox_," he informed.

"_Completed. Location: building oh-five. Four hundred and fifty-two paces due west._"

"_Good_," he complimented. "_Objective: clear a path to building oh-five. Take out any and all autobots who confront you._" The droid nodded before jogging off to complete its assigned task. Thundercracker watched the droid for several seconds, and then assured that the droid wouldn't fail, he spun around to witness Jetfire flying overhead. He thought a moment, deciding whether engaging Jetfire was morally right since Skywarp's accident. The longer he watched Jetfire take out airplanes, the more his understanding gaze turned livid and aggressive. He took off, swerving to avoid gunfire and missiles. Why should he spare Jetfire? He had allowed Mirage to _almost_ get away with stealing _his_ bond-mate's life. It was his fault that Skywarp was in the shape he was in. It was his fault, all his fault!

His body slammed into Jetfire's, causing them both to freefall towards the ground. Thundercracker wrapped his claws around the autobot's back and clung to him as they descended. Jetfire, dazed from the sudden attack, braced for impact. The black mech his the ground shoulder first, then chest. Jetfire cried out as his systems were overloaded and interfered from the impact. His blue optics fluttered on and off as he struggled to keep up with time. He felt a warm, vengeful hand grip his left wing and rip it from his shoulder. The scientist howled as his remaining wing was pulled from his back. Desperate to get the perpetrator off his back, he reached around and clamped his overly large hand on the assailant's arm. Jetfire flung Thundercracker onto the ground. The seeker whimpered as the twin engines along his back were squashed underneath his weight.

Jetfire struggled to his feet and moaned to vent the pain radiating from his shoulders. Purple energon dripped down his arms and chest, and alerted him to severity of the injury. His systems cut off energon flow to the injured sights to conserve energy. He looked tiredly up to receive a punch directly aimed at his left optic. The autobot stumbled backwards and caught him on a building. With fuzzy vision, Jetfire watched Thundercracker saunter forward. He didn't sport a vicious grin like his bond-mate would have; instead his lips were pulled into a hurtful scowl that exposed his sharp teeth. Jetfire raised his right arm and unleashed a plasma blast. The seeker stopped in his tracks to take the blast to his shoulder, but the blast didn't wipe away the enraged, betrayed look in Thundercracker's optics. If anything, it only fueled the fire smoldering inside his spark.

Jetfire fired again, but Thundercracker was quick to avoid the blast. The decepticon swung his arm around, caught Jetfire's right hand, and twisted it until he heard the elbow joints breaking from the stress. With his freehand, the autobot struck Thundercracker in the helm; which was enough for the seeker to release his death grip. While Thundercracker was briefly recovering from the impact, Jetfire transformed his left hand into an eight-sided mace. He swung his weapon, clipping the edge of the seeker's wing. Thundercracker toppled onto the ground from the pain. Thundercracker's optics were filled with diagnostics about his current condition and flooded with the terrifying information that Jetfire was swinging his club again. The seeker's shrill scream silenced all other noise in the vicinity. His free hand moved to cover up the wound on his chest. He felt his fingers become soaked in his own energon.

A black hand seized his neck and lifted his weakened body off the ground, as if Thundercracker were only a ragdoll. "Go home," Jetfire ordered. "And don't return or I will be forced to kill you, Thundercracker."

The seeker, blinded by the pain, smiled like a drunk at the autobot. A small chuckle bubbled to the surface, but quickly dissipated as his energy levels were being depleted. His head rolled back as he fluttered near unconsciousness, but determined to remain conscious Thundercracker forced his head forward. He focused his injured optics on Jetfire's unclear image. "I don't take threats from traitors," he spat. In one last attempt, he raised his gun and fired at Jetfire's chest. His neck was released and Thundercracker fell to the ground. He could energon dripping from the autobot's chest, just above the spark chamber. Jetfire swayed for a few seconds, trying desperately to cling to consciousness, before tumbled over onto the ground. The seeker pushed his body off the ground and stepped over Jetfire's legs.

"_Thundercracker, have you retrieved the girl yet?_" screeched his commander's voice.

"_No, brother_," he replied.

"_Then get her now!_" he barked. "_The fragment is within my grasps and as soon as I get it, we're out of this fleshy hellhole._"

"_Yes, mi'lord_," the seeker answered hastily. Thundercracker moved quickly through the burning debris. He winced as his pressure sensors continued to register pain along his chest wound. He placed his hand over the wound, to helplessly try to stop the energon from leaking out. The last thing he wanted was to leave a perfect trail of energon for the autobots to follow. '_Be my luck_,' he thought grimly. He ducked underneath a caving roof. His wing tips scraped against the top of the building, creating a low hissing sound as the metal grinded against metal. Through the thin walls, he could hear the humans calling for back up over their primitive radio communication device. The sounds of gunfire from the jets, the moaning of buildings, and groaning from the fire stopped the seeker from hearing the reply to the distress call. He stared ahead through the smoke, where he could see Moonracer's silhouette. He drew out his gun and took aim, but to his disappointment and relief, the blue femme's body toppled onto the ground. Standing over the body, Thundercracker could make out the droid's red accents.

"_Droid_," he called. "_Objective: provide protection for Thundercracker_."

"_Complication_," it responded lifelessly. "_First objective: uncompleted_."

Thundercracker stormed passed the droid, looking at the building with the numbers oh-five written on the side. "_First objective: deleted. Objective: provide protection for Thundercracker. Eliminate all known enemies_," he growled at the droid. The droid nodded and followed behind his master. It's red head pivoted around as it tried to assess the surroundings. Thundercracker, meanwhile, swiped a hole through the side of the building and then ripped off a section of the black roof. He glared down at the scurrying humans with unrelenting disgust. '_And the autobots honestly think these things are worth saving?_' he questioned. The decepticon stepped inside the building, careful to avoid squishing fleshy fluids on his armor. His optics flinched at the sounds of bullets being fired at him. He bent down and swiped away the shooters. He flashed his attention towards a slow moving human. Thundercracker lashed out and caught Galloway by his chest.

The decepticon lifted the human up to his eye level. "Where is Annabelle Leann Lennox?" Thundercracker demanded ruthlessly. He shook the human violently and snarled at him, but the human was too terrified to speak. Galloway's wrinkled face was frozen like a glitch computer and his mind blank. "Stupid thing!" the seeker complained. "I'll find her myself." He tossed the tiny alien against the wall, watching with a superior look as the old man fell like a limp ragdoll to the floor. His sensors alerted him to another formidable presence in the room. He turned tiredly to see Ratchet looming across the hanger. The medic drew out his saw and gun; while looking like a mad hatchet man at the seeker.

"_Droid. First Objective: deleted. Objective: Imitate Sideswipe_." Quickly improvising, the seeker grabbed hold of the droid by the shoulder. Thundercracker held his gun to the droid's chest. The droid pretended to squirm and cry out curse sayings in their native tongue. "Shoot me and I'll kill Sideswipe like I did he brother," the seeker bluffed. "If you give me the girl, I'll let you keep this piece of trash for a soldier." The medic remained unmoved and continued to aim his weapon at the seeker's injured chest. Thundercracker cocked his with a serious manner about him. "C'mon, medic. What's more important? Sideswipe or some alien?"

Ratchet's stern face turned grimly solemn at the offer the seeker was giving him. Every programmed instinct inside the autobot cried for him to reject the offer and open fire, but his instinctive loyalty to his race was screaming at him, demanding that he hand over the girl. The girl wasn't part of their race or species. The girl was a foreign liability at best and a form of suicide at worst. "I don't accept offers from enemies," Ratchet returned firmly. He looked the mad seeker in the eye. "You won't get the girl."

"Well then," Thundercracker mused. "I guess this'll get messy." He pushed the droid forward and opened fired on Ratchet. "_Droid. First Objective: deleted. Objective: eliminate Ratchet_." The droid immediately opened fired on the autobot. Thundercracker ducked behind the droid to avoid Ratchet's fire before racing off towards the door to his right. From the corner of his optics, he watched the droid and Ratchet collide. '_Stop watching!_' reminded a part of him. '_You've got a job to do!_' Thundercracker kicked through the thin metal wall and walked into the next room.

The seeker hunched over to avoid scrapping his head against the roof. His feet cracked the cemented floor as he surveyed the room. In the far, a cluster of humans huddled together. Their eyes were filled with sheer terror as the enemy turned towards them. One face stood out among the fleshlings, and unlike the others, she met his terrifying gaze with acceptance. Annabelle neither smiled nor scowled at him, merely watching him with a neutral look. Sarah selfishly wrapped her skinny arms around her daughter and bared her teeth as the alien. Thundercracker laughed at the fleshy. "Do you think I'm intimidated by your teeth?" he asked with an annoyed tone. He moved forward, sending all but two (Annabelle and Sarah) running towards the hanger. He squatted down with a toothy grin, but still, the mother didn't run. "You must be really stupid if you're gonna stay here."

Anna winced as her mother tightened her grip. "You'll never take my daughter, you filthy piece of shit!" Sarah yelled. The mother's distressed eyes produced tears that dripped down her stressed and tightly pulled face. "You'll have to kill me if you to get to my daughter."

"Mom!" Annabelle protested.

"I could do that," Thundercracker said with a sinister grin. "I'd _love_ to do that, fleshy." He could sense the fear starting to infect Sarah. The edges of her scowl weren't nearly as strong and her hold onto Annabelle was to prevent her body from shacking with fear. He slipped his fingers between the mother and daughter before closing his grip around Anna. "But I've got a job to finish, and my boss would be awfully mad at me for self indulging at a time like this." Sarah's arm shot out to reach for Annabelle as the alien pulled his objective closer to him. "I would take this moment to run, fleshy, or I might slip up and self indulge." The blue seeker stood up and used his free hand to create a hole in the ceiling. Bits and pieces of the roof fell to the floor, sending the mother running. Thundercracker looked then at his – when did she start bleeding? He focused his optics on Annabelle's head. A two-inch gash across her head was the source for the leaking red fluid. '_Must've gotten hit when I got rid of the roof_,' her surmised. '_At least you'll be unconscious and won't feel this._'

He opened his hand and rolled her floppy body across his palm. He brushed a claw across her neck, thinking of how simple it would be to disconnect the head from the body. '_Lucky bastard, at least you get a quick death_,' he thought. He lifted his head up at the familiar sound of his brother's shrill cry. Across the mile of turmoil and destruction that separated the two, Thundercracker could make out Starscream's body. The tan seeker stumbled out "cave" that once held the Allspark fragment. In his right hand, their leader held his detached, left arm and used it as a shield for the incoming blasts. From the smoke coming from the cave, Optimus Prime emerged with swords drawn out. The autobot leader transformed his swords into an ion blaster. Starscream turned around to use his arm to deflect the first blast, but he was not quick enough to avoid the second blast to his wings.

From behind, Jetfire staggered forth with his energy rifle ready to fire. "_Starscream!_" Thundercracker yelled. "_Jetfire is coming from behind you!_" He threw the human into his cockpit and began to fly towards his brother. Starscream whirled around, catching Jetfire by his chest plate. The seeker shifted his weight, first moving towards Optimus, and then rotating around so that the black autobot was in front of him. Jetfire's good hand wrapped around the seeker's back, grabbed hold of Starscream's waist, and drew the seeker close to his chest. Thundercracker witnessed Jetfire's blue optics burn whiter than a newborn sun as Prime's ion blast devastated his chest. Jetfire clutched onto Starscream as his main systems began to fail. The autobot's legs buckled underneath his weight and he leaned in desperately towards Starscream. The black slipped from the seeker's waist as he slid to the ground. Starscream impatiently kicked Jetfire off of him and backed away.

Thundercracker slid on the ground, waiting for Jetfire to rise again, but the giant mech lied on the ground. The black mech's optics focused on Starscream, even as their color began to drain. Thundercracker's spark froze as the inevitable came full circle. His blue optics shuttered, but still they bled with emotion. The blue seeker couldn't tear his optics away from the sight, no matter how hard he tried. '_Don't leave me, brother_,' he could read in Jetfire's eyes. '_Don't leave me to die alone. Please, you're my brother. Help_.'

A cold hand was suffocating Thundercracker's spark. He had wanted Skyfire to pay for hurting and nearly killing his bond-mate, but he'd already received his punishment. This, dying, was not something a 'bot like Jetfire deserved. He looked towards Starscream, but his leader was too busy ignoring and firing shots at Optimus to see Jetfire's unspoken words. Rage filled Thundercracker, and he felt his circuits shake from the unvented rage. How could Starscream just ignore his brother like that?! _How_?! Did Starscream have no respect for brother-hood. Thundercracker's cooling system kicked in as his spark produced too much energy for his body to safely handle. He clutched his hands and readied for them to transform when Jetfire's optics lost the last of their lively, blue hue. Just as quickly, all his energy was sapped from his body.

His body lurched forward as Ratchet fired on his back, but Thundercracker barely registered the pain. He was too consumed with the sight of Jetfire's body. The second blast from Ratchet finally brought the seeker back to the present. The medic walked forward with a tiny hitch in his gait. Red scratches from the droid littered his neon yellow paint job. With humbled eyes, Thundercracker stared frankly at the medic. Ratchet stopped in his tracks and met the seeker's gaze. The seeker was sure the medic could see the guilt hidden behind his optics. '_He can probably see everything,_' muttered the voice. '_That's why he's not attacking_.' He turned his head away, ashamed of what Ratchet could see. "I will fulfill my promise to Skyfire, Ratchet," Thundercracker swore. His voice was soft enough that Ratchet had a hard time catching his words. The seeker looked out to the field and watched as his brother take cover among the fighter jets. "When Starscream no longer needs, I will return her to you _alive_ – an innocent life for another innocent life."

"We're coming, Ratchet!" called Powerglide.

Thundercracker kicked off from the ground to rejoin his brother in the sky. He easily weaved through the fighter jets and found his place beside Starscream. The blue seeker looked at his brother's detached arm, already loathing how he'll have to attend to Starscream's medical needs before Skywarp's. Starscream gave Thundercracker an uneasy glare. "_Did you retrieve the girl?_" he asked sourly.

"_Affirmative,_" Thundercracker replied emotionlessly.

"_Good_," he complimented. Starscream looked forward towards the descending sun. "_Finally, this god awful day is ending_." Thundercracker watched his brother's far off gaze, as if Starscream were looking at what tomorrow and the future held. "_And we, all Cybertronians, can look forward to a new day_." An accomplished and proud smile spread across his scratched and energon-stained face. His brother's optics gleamed with a rare emotion as he soaked himself with pride: hope. "_Peace, will finally reign over our beautiful Cybertron, Thundercracker._"

'_Only if we can make it through the night_,' Thundercracker thought grimly.

* * *

**Question:** so do you guys think Skyfire took the hit for Starscream on purpose, did Optimus purposely shoot Skyfire, or was Skyfire just at the wrong place at the wrong time?

And just to clear up any confusion, waaaaay back in chapter 14, Jetfire went to retrieve Sideswipe. Well, he got a droid that was designed to mimic the actual Sideswipe. It was nice planning on TC and Barricade's part if I do say so myself.


	28. Chapter 28

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** I'm sorry, but there are not going to be any regular updates for a while. They're probably going to be really irregular until school gets out because trying to balance school with writing is really one sided at the moment. :c

And if you guys haven't noticed, Skywarp's favorite human work is "fuck"; it's part of his impulsive and addictive behavior. so you'll have to excuse his potty mouth.

&& HAPPY EASTER! May you all be blessed with many peeps to eat and/or play with. c:

**Pairings:** Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide

**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers © Hasbro.

* * *

Returning to base in the Rocky Mountains was more or less like returning to an unrated, beaten down motel. A person didn't know what they were getting, but knowing what they were getting could be worse than not knowing. The only reason Thundercracker smiled was when he sensed Skywarp's spark signature still inside the cave opening. The blue seeker pushed away dead evergreens from the entrance, allowing the full moonlight to enter the shallow cave. He could see the end of Skywarp's foot armor reflecting the gray moonlight. Thundercracker hunched over as he entered the cave. A light touch on Skywarp's foot was enough to wake up the black seeker. His violet optics gleamed mischievously at his bond-mate. Then they flicked annoyingly towards Starscream. Their leader returned the same, heated gaze to his injured subordinate.

"Hey," Skywarp breathed faintly. "How was the fucking mission?"

Thundercracker knelt down, beaming at Skywarp. "Fine," he said. "It went according to plan."

"You look like fucked up shit," his bond-mate replied rather bluntly. Skywarp's smile increased at the cost of Thundercracker's disappearing. The 'con turned to Starscream, analyzing the dried energon along the left side of his chest and dented chest plates. "You too, Screamer," he added. Starscream's frown became a glower and he tightened his grip on his detached left arm. Skywarp ignored the silent glare and turned happily to Thundercracker. "So how many of the li'l fuckers did you kill, Teecee?"

"We know he killed at least one," Starscream interjected. Their leader dropped his detached arm. Thundercracker turned his head and saw Starscream's greedy hand held out for his prize. "Where's that fleshy's head, Thundercracker? I'm eager to have Scalpel extract the information." The blue seeker's gaze insecurely dropped to the ground. "You did grab the human, Thundercracker. Didn't you?" he asked unpleasantly. "Or did the autobots once again make a fool out of you?"

"They did not make a fool out of me!" Thundercracker lashed. There was more anger in his voice that he should have allowed, but he couldn't find the strength to sustain it. Still disgusted by the memory of Starscream abandoning Jetfire the way he had, the seeker was more determined to keep his side of the bargain. "I very much completed my mission, a lot quicker than you did, milord. I also managed to offline Sunstreaker, Flareup, and one of their more respected human commanders."

"And the girl?" Starscream insisted crossly.

Thundercracker stared at his cockpit for several long, hard seconds. He took a deep breath as his opened the cockpit and pulled the unconscious human out. He positioned his hand so that she was out of Starscream's view, but to his dismay, Skywarp's curious optics began to scan her body. "I didn't have time to end her life," Thundercracker explained irritably. "Had I ended it, then I would not have been able to warn you of Jetfire's attack." He curled his hands around her warm body and continued to stare at his hand. "In which case, you would not have been able to eliminate Jetfire from our ever growing list of enemies."

"You fucking killed fucking Jetfire?" Skywarp asked excitingly.

Thundercracker swore he could see a hint of agitation in his optics. Starscream quickly looked to the ground before acknowledging Skywarp's question. "Yes," he replied bluntly. "I killed the traitor through unconventional means." There were no emotions behind his words, like he was reciting a poem without understanding the meaning. It sounded rehearsed. "But that's beside the point," Starscream countered quickly, putting his agitation back into his words. He stared at Thundercracker, his optics demanding to see the human. "You were to kill the human and bring back her head. I didn't want a body, you human sympathizer. Hand it over now and I'll take care of what you obviously don't have the spark to do."

Thundercracker cursed mentally at himself. He opened his hands and gingerly handed the human over to Starscream. He quickly snatched her and threw her into his cockpit. Starscream bent down and picked up his arm. The blue seeker could feel both his wing-mates glowering at his weakness. "When do you want me to repair your injuries, brother?" he asked nervously, switching topics.

"I'll fix it myself, Thundercracker," Starscream replied venomously. It felt like a backhanded slap across the blue mech's face. "It's nothing I haven't fixed before, you fool. I'm not dependent on you after all." Skywarp growled at the insults towards his bond-mate, and his own inability to physically reprehend their leader for the offenses. Starscream backed out of the cave and took off into the night air. He flew low of the trees and created an eerie rustle in their needle-like leaves. The tips of his toes cut off the tops of the evergreens. The cool, midnight clouds that hovered over the mountains condensed its water onto his body. Sleeping deer scattered at the sound of his angry engines' rumbles. He watched with amusement as the slender deer pranced down the mountain, navigating the wet terrain like experts. It was amazing how fear could look _so_ beautiful.

His feet sunk a half a foot into the rocky and muddy terrain. In the cramped clearing, Starscream knelt beside the water's edge. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, loathing the imperfections created from hand-to-hand combat with several of the autobots. His optics traced the bent and crooked lines of his chest armor; even more so, he hated how the purple energon had dried pink along the left side of his chest. What he hated most was the one injury he couldn't see. Dropping his arm, Starscream placed his hand on his lower back and felt for the impression of Jetfire's hand. The seeker closed his optics as the memory flooded his processors. The image of Jetfire's colorless optics was seared into his memory banks for this eternity and the next. His spark cringed as he watched his blue eyes turn to the color of ash. It looked so unreal to see the life drain from Jetfire's body, but it felt real in his spark. It felt _horribly_ real.

He opened his optics to eradicate the memory of Jetfire's death from his optics. His optics was drawn to the water where he could see his virtual image staring at him. Courage, as Megatron had once told him, came when a brother could look another brother in the optics and still have the internal power to slay him; however, when Starscream looked at his reflection, all he saw was a coward staring coldly at him, a slimy, disgusting excuse for a brother. '_Ex_,' he corrected himself. '_And I didn't kill him. Optimus killed him. The bastard doesn't have the decency to not shoot his own soldiers._' The 'con's optics dimmed as he grew tired of his reflection, but refocused their attention on the shadows. '_I should have known that Optimus would never take care of Skyfire. He never cared for him … not even when he went missing for all those years_.' Guilt dripped out of his spark, but a stronger distaste for his, Starscream's, own failure bother him more than he wished; even though, they were no longer brothers, he felt as if he somehow failed him, which didn't compute with his logic chip. The seeker shook his head sorely. "Bastard."

"Who's the bastard?" asked a tired voice.

Starscream pulled the human from his cockpit and watched her with diligent, predatory eyes. She ran her hand over her head, feeling the superficial wound and knot. Along her cheeks were the dried stains from her tears. She looked overall exhausted. Her motions were slower, sloppier, and her breathing deeper, heavier. The sclera had a reddish tint to it from the overproduction of tears. Annabelle looked up at him without an accusing glare; yet, no matter how much strength she mustered, she looked weak. "You're supposed to be dead," he complained quickly.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Anna said flatly. She looked at her hand, examining the dry blood that had come off of her head. To his disgust, she wiped it on his hand. "But that isn't exactly my problem," she added curtly. He flexed his fingers in a threatening gesture to the human. She ignored the threat and blissfully let her eyes meander over the dimly lit landscape. The last thing she wanted to do was get into another argument with Starscream; however, she didn't want him to see happiness and relief flowing through her veins. "Where the hell are we now?" she demanded. Goosebumps raced across her skin as the wind lightly blew over her body. She pulled her arms close to her chest, trying to get rid of the goose bumps. Annabelle looked up at Starscream, demanding to know _now_.

"Why does that matter, fleshy?" Starscream hissed. He drew his head closer to his hand as a form of intimidation. Dried energon peeled off his armor as he held himself in awkward position. "You'll be dead in a few minutes, if not within moments from now." He drew his mouth open, baring his sharp dentures at the human like an angered alpha wolf. "You'll be lucky if I don't suffocate you again, pathetic maggot." His angered overpowered the smirk and transformed it into a deadlier scowl. "You don't deserve to die quickly," Starscream spat hatefully. "You deserve to die slowly, just like _your_ murderous Prime."

She flinched as the hot, acidic energon from his saliva contaminated part of her left cheek. She wiped it off her cheek with the back of her left hand. She lifted her head up, matching his gaze with the last of her strength. "Fine!" she shouted for dramatic effect. She opened her arms wide open, exposing her sore body to the elements and his rage. "If I'm so damn pathetic and unworthy to live, then why don't you kill me right now? Because it seems to me like you're trying to buy time with your monologue about my behavior." She walked slowly over to edge of his palm. The edges of the con's optics twitched from wrath, and the fumes from his exhausts came out faster and faster. "Because I'm tired of playing this game of will with you! So I'll be the bigger person and concede so that this madness between us can end!" Anna yelled furiously. "So go ahead! Take you prize and fucking kill me!"

He was quiet compared to the loud thumping of heart's beat in her ears. Annabelle's chest rose and fell rapidly, as if she were out of breath. Her fingers curled into a tightly knitted fist, and girl lowered her arms. Her was scrunched upwards from the pure disgust on her face; and even though she felt like crying again, her eyes were dry and parched as desert. "Or are you coward?" she asked in a whisper. "I believe you are a coward, and bet you always have been, too. And if by some miracle you are not a coward, then prove it to me by slaying me like a true leader like _Megatron_."

"Don't use that name in my presence!" Starscream snarled. Annabelle felt the heat literally radiate off the seeker's body. His circuits were tensed, a testament that he was holding back his blind rage to rip, tear, and mutilate her body. The pupils of his optics were being seared white as one by one his restraints fell. "Megatron is nothing compared to me! _Nothing_!"

"Really?" she challenged venomously. "Because the way I see it, you're a coward who has never had respect, and when you see Megatron, you see the respect his soldiers had for him—not you. You envy that, Twenty-two, because even though you are leader of the decepticons, they neither respect nor fear you; and they never will! You are not a born leader, Starscream! You are _not_ meant to lead!"

"And what would you know about being a leader?" the seeker retorted.

"I know enough," Annabelle defended matter-of-factly. "And I know if you were a true leader, then you would not be stringing out this madness. No, if you truly cared for your species survival, then you would have killed me anyway, and moved along to your next problem; however, you are selfish and egomaniac, and have kept this mad cycle going on and on for your own personal agenda." She took a deep breath of cool air to relax her, but it only fueled the fire burning inside her chest cavity. "And unlike you, I'm tired of this madness! I'm tired of being strung along!" Her pupils narrowed, focusing themselves on Starscream; and Annabelle swore that he flinched from the seriousness of words and glower. For unlike the other times, there would no mistaking this statement for anything but the truth. "It's not fair to me, you, or your species if this keeps going on, Starscream." She shook her head. "Not fair. Not at all."

His grimy fingers clenched her body and lifted her to his optics. He could see through her eyes, into her mind, that this was the final straw; and that in her mind, it would be more logically to die than to continue these mind games. Instead of smugly smirking at his work, the seeker felt disappointed, let down that the human would concede so easily after all this time; even though he had wanted to be the victor and dominant one in this lopsided relationship, becoming the victor this way did not satisfy his need for dominance and absolute control. And illogically, her giving into him was more concerning than the insults she spat into his face. He wanted to fight his way to the top, not just simply claim it. He eyed her apprehensively. "Why are you so insistent on ending this?" Starscream asked bluntly. "Just a few hours ago, you were _begging_ me to rescue you; which would've perpetuated the cycle. When and why did you have this sudden change of heart, fleshy?"

"Because if we keep lying, manipulating, and deceiving each other, then we are no better than those who cannot see the truth about this world, the humans, and the autobots," Anna answered without hesitation. "Because if we don't believe our own words, then how can we expect the other person to believe them? The answer is you can't expect them to believe it." The fresh, fiery anger in her eyes burned itself into a fresh, bleeding wound. "And no matter how much you want to them to believe it, they won't actually believe it until you do." Fearful that Starscream would see how weak he made her become, she head away and closed her sore eyes. She raked her hand through her hair, and nervously pulled on a handful of hair.

Very few times in his long life had he been perplexed, and Primus did he hate that useless feeling! He cocked his head to the right as he tried to connect the dots; yet, when he connected the dots it didn't make sense. Her words were implying a subtle insult; however, her body language conveyed a sense of hurt and submissiveness. "You insects make no sense," he criticized frankly. "I assume it to be from your faulty processors." Anna didn't flinched or motioned to open her mouth to retaliate. She simply stood there on his palm, averting her eyes like a person on death row about to meet their maker. "And I certainly do not ever wish to learn how your illogical mind works, but are you insinuating that you would want to believe your words?"

"I think that would be nice," Anna replied in a weaker tone. "It would make things a lot less complicated."

"Why would you ever want to believe your lies?" Starscream asked bluntly without thinking.

Very timidly she looked up to him like a lost, blind, and deaf puppy who had wandered too far from its mother. "Because it would be nice if I had actually something to live for other than rotting away in a cell for the rest of my natural life," Anna whispered hoarsely. "I mean, I've already signed away my life when I told Galloway that I wasn't human."

"What did you tell him you were?" Starscream inquired.

"A decepticon," she breathed.

He swore he felt his logic chip short out as soon as her words reached his audio processors. Why—how could she consider herself one of his one? She was a human, and while humans often fought other humans, he'd never pondered the idea that one of them would actually go as far as to betray their own race and proclaim to be something they physically were not. By the look in her red eyes, she saw his confusion. "You don't have to understand why I said that," Anna explained. "But know that I want to be great like you, and have a bigger purpose than what people like Galloway on this scumbag of a world have; and if I have to kill a few people to be great, then so be it." She took a deep breath and tried to swallow her guilt. "I figure, I've come this far, that it would be illogical and impossible for me to ever integrate back into the shallow human world; so I might as well as try to integrate into the only world left."

His optics scowled at her with more fury than a woman. How dumb did she think he was; she had fooled him, which as a shame on him, but he would not be fooled again. No, he wouldn't take another bullet to his ego again. "Firstly, you are not worthy of being called a decepticon," Starscream sneered in a low, venomous hiss. "Secondly, I'm not falling for your lies again. Thirdly, my verdict still stands: you will die, Annabelle Lennox." He lifted his head up with an air of arrogance. "Your lies will not save you this time."

"But I'm not lying!" Annabelle protested. She raked her hands over his face, leaving scratches on her face from her nails. She plucked away at her mind, searching desperately for a way to explain what she felt to him—to herself. "I'm really not this time," she said in a stronger voice. She looked towards Starscream for the answer, but he held no answers in his enraged optics, only more reasons to regret bringing him back to life. Anna fell back onto her knees because concentrating and standing at the same time were too much for her. "For Jesus Christ's sake, I fucked up my life to bring you back, and you won't even let me join your side!" she complained. "I've bent over backwards to resist you and you kept coming back to me; yet, when I finally decide to give into you, you reject me. That's so fucked up, Starscream." She glanced pathetically his direction. "Why is it that I have to pretend to be something I'm not to be of any value? Can you tell me why? Because I don't know why."

He was silent, and she misinterpreted it as further rejection, when in fact it was just he brooding over the answer. She shifted her legs, turning her back to him; and it worked in hiding regret being clawed into her skin along her left forearm; however, Starscream could smell the fresh scent of blood in the air. The seeker's eyes drifted to her well-defined shadow casted by the moon. There, within its faded black hue, he found his answer. For as weak as she appeared physically, there was an underlying strength that belonged to her true self—a strength that he had once possessed but lost. It was this strength that didn't make her cry like a normal human should have. Starscream's optics trailed to his shadow, where it was obscured and lacked a true definition. It was this strength that gave her such a strong sense of where she belonged, and it was this lack of strength that had made Starscream question his loyalty; she was definite in where she stood, while he was indefinite.

In the tangled knot of his thoughts, the decepticon found himself asking one, relatively simple question: would he strip this human of her strength like Megatron had stripped him of his own strength, or did he let her keep it out of what little scrap for a conscious he had left?

"Anna," he spoke in a low, unusually husky voice.

"You know," she spoke in response to her name being muttered. "I really wanted to believe some of my lies." She bowed her head against her chest. "Like the one about loving you. I don't love you right now, but I was really hoping, that if this madness continued, then maybe I would brainwash myself into believing it. So that maybe, someday you would believe it." Her eyes drifted over her forearm, where she had dug her claws into her skin to keep herself from screaming out all of her emotions. "I really want to believe in that one, because of all those lies I told, I think this one would be the best to believe in because it would mean I'm not like the other humans. It would mean I'm capable of something they aren't—understanding, compassion, comprehension, foresight…"

His optics focused on her body, thinking of how she would formulate her vivid facial expressions to dramatically express her words. Despite being made a fool of once, he let his processors mull over the words she spoke. Something about the way she pronounced the last four words caught his attention. It was the underlying anger, sense of failure in her otherwise detached voice that drew him closer to her. Could it be, he pondered, that she felt she had failed, all because she couldn't believe her lies? Did she love what she pretended to be more than what she truly was? Starscream drew his claws around her body and brought her uncomfortably close to his face, to the point where he could see her breath. "Anna," he repeated with a firmer tone. "I have an answer for your question."

She didn't so much as lift her head to signify to him that she was listening. "Why," the human said slowly. "Would I listen to you when you don't believe your words? You're just a pathological liar like me. We don't tell the truth, and when we do, people don't believe it." Anna twisted her head around to bluntly stare him in the optic. The 'con was slow to react, and the fleshy took advantage of this moment. "But pathological liars can't lie to one another, because they know the other is lying, so that means they'll only believe truth. So… is this going to be another lie I have to listen too, or will this be the truth?" His jaw was pulled tightly in neither a smirk nor scowl. Without thinking, she reached out to touch him with her cold fingertips. A weak, glass-fragile smile dimly pulled on her lips. "Why don't you let the truth die with me, so that you can go on living your lies easier without any "entertaining" distractions?" she asked. "That way we both get what we want."

Now, in his sick mind, was twisted. In all of his life, he'd never known anyone who would die for the truth, except perhaps… No, he wouldn't let his mind drift back to Skyfire. There was something caught in his vocal cords that prevented him from speaking, and a dangerous amount of lubricant building up in his optics; however, his scans indicated no internal functioning problems. The seeker took a deep breath, and forced his vocal cords to work against their will.

"I do not want your death," he murmured feebly. "Your true self is too valuable to die; which is why people don't like your true self. You, Annabelle, are what make 'bots like Optimus look like common peasant. People are scared of that because you hold a power that they could only dream of, so naturally they're scared of that. They envy it." Starscream softly placed her on his lap. She slumped onto her sore side, but her eyes never left his, not even when they winced from the pain. "That's why you have to fight them, Annabelle," he urged. "You have to show them that you are not some monstrous bastard child of a god, but the champion they need."

"Is that what you did?" Anna asked.

He nodded. "My mentor, father figure if you please, Alpha Trion, saw me the same way the autobots and sick humans saw you. Consequently, when I no longer needed his teachings, he sent me to Koan to be an over-seer. He thought he would keep me contain there so that I "would not shed my current skin and become something tyrannous like The Fallen."" He rolled his optics as he quoted his mentor. "That's why I had to become a fighter Annabelle. I needed to show him and all the others like him that I was something much more noble than he." He took the edge of his claw, and pulled upwards on the human's chin. "And if I did not need to kill you, I would further embrace your fight against their corrupt and cowardly society."

"But why exactly would you help me break away?" Anna persisted. "I'm technically a human by your standards."

"And originally I was an autobot," Starscream replied impatiently. "But, if there is one thing I've learned, it is that there is always a way to redeem yourself from your mistakes. That's the good thing about the decepticons—we don't care where you came from, only where you're heading."

She contently smiled. "I think you're romanticizing the decepticons, Twenty-two," Anna commented. "Surely, there has to be a flaw to them."

"I suppose that I may have exaggerated about our greatness and been a little biased, but it is no sin to be proud of your allegiance," Starscream answered with a slight sneer. "It's only a shame that you will not see the good your death brings us, Annabelle. It's a real shame, actually, but one that must stand if Cybertron is to live."

Anna smirked. "I guess I'll just have to watch your glory from heaven. Twenty-two," she said. "Or, I should correct myself and say I'll be the glory of my sacrifice from heaven. Of course, I'll get all the credit because if it weren't for me, then you would be nothing more than melted down energon right now." She rolled onto her back and placed both arms behind her head. "Yup, I can see it right now. My name in the text books; while you'll only be a little footnote."

He was scowling furiously at her, and in a low hiss he let his anger saturate his words. "There's only one problem with that fantasy, Annabelle. You won't be watching from heaven. You'll be watching from Cybertron." She turned her head curiously to him. A know-it-all smirk crisscrossed his face. "I said Annabelle Lennox had to die, not Slipstream."

"But we're one in the same," she protested.

"Not anymore," Starscream answered smugly. "Not under my watch."

"Oh," she snapped sarcastically. "What are you going to do? Kill me, melt me down into a spark, and then place it into a Cybertron body?" She pushed herself up and gave him a look of doubtfulness. "I'm not that stupid," Anna stated. "Slipstream is just a nickname. I'm still me, Annabelle Leann Lennox. You kill me, you kill "Slipstream.""

He chuckled darkly. Starscream sat up straightly as if he were at a business meeting. She stared quizzically at him, unsure of whether she should be scared, mortified, or angry; for there brooding in his optics was a scheme. "Anna," he proposed. "You are too valuable to kill—I realize this now. And for some unknown, illogical reasons, I've come to believe that a partnership between us would benefit both of us beyond either of our—particularly yours—comprehension." Anna annoyingly crossed her arms and eyed him suspiciously. "And, as it would be in your favor, I've come to realize that I cannot rely on my brothers. Consequently, I need a new second-in-command that I can trust."

"Why can't you rely on them?" Anna interrogated.

"Because Thundercracker and I are not on the same page," he retorted. "There are fractures in our relationship that cannot grow. Already those differences are driving us apart, and if I do not relieve that stress, he may get up enough courage to defect to the other side and take that lousy piece of shit with a spark with him; however, I need that lousy piece of shit because of his unique teleportation powers, and the fact that they know too much about the inner workings of the decepticon. That would be a true catastrophe if the autobots actually found out how we function."

"And you don't think he won't be pissed when he finds out you've demoted him and replaced him with a human?" Anna asked flatly. "Because if I were him, I'd upping leave over that."

"Do you think I'd be that stupid as to let him know you're a human?" Starscream questioned.

She nodded. "Honestly, yes, because you are _that_ stupid, Twenty-two," Anna snapped happily.

His optics originally began to give her a critical glare over her comment, but they softened as her gleeful smirk grew. While the insult was personal, it was also impersonal because she was only making a snapping comeback for the sake of arguing; which, when he thought about it, would be the same thing he would do to her. Neither would ever speak of true affection to each other because that would be cowardly, and so only argued because it was the only option left through which they could express their affection to each other; which, brought a satisfying smirk to the scheming seeker's face. "But I'm not as stupid as you claim, Annabelle," Starscream countered. "For no one, outside a very select group will know you are human. Everyone else, including my brothers, will see you as one of us."

"How?" Anna demanded.

"We have a few extra body parts and bodies lying around the Nemesis that can and will be used to reconstruct a new body," Starscream explained like a smug Ivy-league college professor. "We will of course have to make some modifications so that you operate the body; which should be simple since your internal programming is rather basic and primitive." Anna rolled her eyes. "However, once all is said and done, no one will be able to know you are anything but a Cybertronian."

There was an obvious light in her eyes as she believed the words he spoke, perhaps even a gram of eagerness to get the project underway; however, in accordance with their unsaid laws of affection, she turned the conversation south. "So… I'm just suppose to pop up here and become second-in-command like that?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"You will not just be some rogue," Starscream clarified. "I'll inform my brothers tomorrow that I've sent a request for an old friend of mine to rejoin us. I won't tell Thundercracker that you are his replacement until we return to Cybertron. Even then, I plan on waiting until my coronation to inform him of his replacement." He took a deep breath and looked up to the stars. "Just relax, Annabelle. I've got this all figured out."

"If you had this all figured out, then what were you doing in that warehouse?" Anna persisted. She pushed herself, and lightly pressed her against his chest. The human rested her hands on her lap while she watched the night air. She was subtly aware of his body temperature rising; which chased away the cold chills. Her sore face relaxed, and Anna let her body go limp next to him. For the first time, she felt totally safe from all the dangers the universe presented. The darkness that covered the land seemed to lift. This place might as well as been her home.

"That was a minor bump," the decepticon answered. Anna cracked a grin and could not contain the chuckle in her throat. To her surprise, Starscream joined in on the chuckle. His lips moved into a rare smile. He didn't understand it, and he doubted the human did either, but as he thought back over the rough nine days they hand endured, he couldn't help but laugh it all off like it were nothing. Together they'd dodge one bullet, only to be stupid enough to stay in the line of fire. '_Funny how things work out_,' he mused. Anna lifted a hand to her sore chest, but did not regret the pain the chuckles had brought. "I'll have to avoid more bumps in the future," he commented for the sake of making conversation.

Anna was silent, brooding over the answer. The happiness she had felt moments was traded in for uncertainty and annoyance. "Do you…" she started, unsure of whether to proceed or not with her question. "Regret this minor bump?" She twisted her head to look up to his glowing optics.

He thoughtfully stared down at the human. The seeker, now realizing how much he had down played the situation, was analyzing all the complex parts that had worked together to get them together. He felt that tightness grow in his vocal cords again. The memory of his deceased brother flashed before his brother, and it took all his restraint not to physically flinch from the memory. Starscream grew aware of the awkward silence that was filling up the gaps of their conversation. "Parts of it," he answered in a low, faint voice. Anna's distraught face did not escape his notice, as she looked away, her eyes searching the ground.

The silence grew fast like a weed. The only sounds from Anna were heavy, labored breaths. She rubbed her arm against her nose, and wiped the hot beginnings of tears from her eyes. "Jetfire," she forced out of her mouth. "He's dead … isn't he?" She longingly looked up at Starscream. Cowardly, he looked away. "I can see it in your eyes." He felt his wings bristle at anger towards himself for letting such weakness show. "Who's the bastard that killed him?"

The answer was simple, yet when he went to answer the question, he vocal cords died. In all technicalities, Optimus Prime had been the one to formally kill; however, the message that Jetfire had sent him as he collapsed to his knees told a much different story—suicide. "_I won't let you die alone_," The memory of Jetfire's voice repeated in his head. The seeker could feel the ghost of his brother's hand press against his back. "_You are my brother, and I will go wherever you will go_." The scene continued to unfold before his eyes. He could hear his brother's thump as he lied on the ground, and saw the look in his eyes as he realized the truth: that he, not Starscream, would die alone. The uncertainty and fear of death in Skyfire's optics haunted his memory, and he couldn't contain the shudder. "_I'm scared, brother_." It was the first time Starscream had ever witnessed his brother scared.

Anger, pure and unfiltered, swelled in his wounded spark. The anger paralyzed his systems and he was blinded by the red in front of his optics. In a hushed whisper, he muttered, "Optimus." His jaw tightened after muttering the word. Jetfire's willingness to die was not his fault because that was how he was programmed, but Optimus … in the seeker's mind had consciously chosen to kill his brother. He hated Megatron, but never before had Starscream felt such strong undoing towards someone. The edges of his optics smoldered white at the image of Optimus. Never had he felt so much bloodlust consume his mind. His fingers curled into a tight ball, as the seeker imagined ripping the autobot leader's spark out of his chest. Oh, the satisfaction he would feel!

"Then we will kill Optimus."

The voice broke his concentration. Starscream peeled his eyes towards the human, who looked upon him with the same bloodlust and desire for vengeance. Tears saturated her face for the human was not afraid to show the blind fury that fueled her tears. Starscream did not doubt the sincerity of her tears and anger in her voice. There was no doubt in his mind that she felt as strongly about Skyfire as he. The seeker subtly nodded. "Yes," he agreed. "We will."


	29. Chapter 29

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways

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**A/N:** As I promised, I would begin writing once my summer was over. So here's a new chapter. I hope ya'll enjoy it! ^^ Lemme know what you think of it since it's been a while since I wrote anything! And if you guys spot any errors in the chapter, please inform me! I'll try to correct them. I'm way too busy at the moment to go over and check for them because of summer classes and applying for college. D:

But anywho let's celebrate the fact I updated! Whose up for some partying? 8D

And I'm going to go back to this way of replying so that I know who've I've answered and who I haven't, lol. Plus, I think people like it better. C:

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**Replies**:

Alterik- thank you very much! And ironhide's fate will be revealed in the next chapter!

Trans 7.4.7. Formers- poor Prime, everyone is out to get him. D:

Kai458- thank you! Hopefully this chapter is just as good as the others!

Yuki- I'm going to try to keep the story going, the updates may just not come very fast with school and crap.

Gargoyle13- I'm glad you've enjoyed the story! I've tried to make it as twisted as possible. :3

Lionlover190- and the wait is over, lol! Or wait, will it just begin again since I just updated, lol?

Xoxo155- you write very well for this being your second language! And thank you very much!

FramingHanleyFan- thank you!

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**Pairings:** Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide

**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers © Hasbro.

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The night has passed slowly, quietly like an approaching storm. The early morning had been spent the same way; which neither objected too since both were too cowardly to break the silence that wrapped itself around their tightly pulled and sore vocal cords. In the absence of words, they let their actions speak for them. Anna did not stray more than five yards from the seeker, and even at that distance she felt uncomfortable and vulnerable, not in the sense that she would be attacked but that something was out there watching them. She tended to stay in the morning sunlight and avoided the dark shadows casted by the trees and Starscream. Anna periodically glanced over her shoulder to assure herself that Starscream was still there, well within range of taking on whatever lied out there in the shadows. The seeker made a mental note of her insecure acts, but with being preoccupied with his wounds, made no snide comment about the gestures. Instead, he let it slide to the back of his processors, so that he could focus on reattaching his arm to his shoulder.

But when she murmured something to the trees, the seeker lifted his head. Annabelle stood near the perimeter of the trees, intently searching for something. She had her fists clenched at her sides, and from her body language, she appeared to be quite frustrated that she couldn't spot whatever it was that was tormenting her. Starscream, satisfied with his repairs for the moment, stood up; the seeker's height matched that of the average evergreen. With each step, he sunk further into the soggy ground. He held himself arrogantly, challenging any threat that lurked in the woods. "There's nothing in there," he said after pausing to scan the woods. Starscream glanced down at Annabelle, but the look on her face summarized the exact way she felt. He sighed. "Anna," he spoke with an exasperated tone. "You're paranoid and need rest. You've been up half the night crying—"

"Shut up," she croaked in a hoarse voice. He opened his mouth to protest, but she raised a fist to silence him. He glared at the human for disrespecting him; however, as Anna took a few timid steps back, the mech shifted to an aggressive stance. If it were some diseased animal preying on his human, well, then that inferior creature would pay dearly for the mistake. The seeker revved his jet engines, burning the tops of the grass in the process. "I said shut the fuck up!" Anna yelled; her voice cracked off before she could yell an insult.

There was an extra crack that followed a nanosecond too late. Without a second thought, he raised his right nullray while the other hand transformed to hold deadly missiles. Anna, he didn't see where she went, back tracked before turning around to run into a sprint. The seeker shifted his body as Annabelle tripped over a root and fell ungracefully to the ground. That was precisely when the ground disappeared beneath his feet. The seeker wasn't fly—he desperately wished that were the reason why—but falling like Anna. Starscream yelped as he landed wings first into the ground. The protection metal surrounding his circuits screeched as it gave out underneath the force of his weight. Amber glass fell onto the ground, illuminating the trees with a bright, burning color. He wildly kicked his legs until they found solid ground. Just as he twisted himself into an upward position, a blue blast tore off the corner of his wing. No, two blasts tore off part of his wing. Starscream hissed as large, blunt hands pressed their fingers into the seeker's throat. He peeked his optics open.

Before Starscream stood the black brute. His blue optics smoldered with hatred. Ironhide pressed his fingers further into the seeker's throat. Stains from saltwater lingered the autobot's armor while the smell of fish and rotten seafood drifted from his body. "Hello, hello," Ironhide breathed. "Surprised to see me, Starscream? I thought you would." The autobot punched his free hand into the seeker's abdomen. The mech groaned loudly. Not about to give the 'con any mercy; he rammed the seeker's body into the mountainside. The seeker's cry ricocheted off the mountains, sounding like music to the 'bots audio sensors. Starscream no longer squirmed; he lay there limply in the 'bots grasp. "Oh come now, Starscream. There is no reason to be so civil now. Not after what you've done." With a sick, aristocratic smile he stared the weak seeker. Starscream only half-heartedly raised his dying, red optics to the mech.

The mech chuckled darkly to him, obviously pleased with his work. "After all, civil mechs aren't assigned to work with the hard laborers of society. Not even the humans' dogs would be assigned to such simple drudgery," he contested in a sophisticated voice. "It is amazing how Megatron has been able to take those narrow-minded fools and make an army as strong as it has been. What is even more amazing is how Megatron could be such a fool and assign someone as idiotic as you to be his second-in-command. Maybe you had Megatron fooled like the rest of us with your science talk. No matter what you do, you cannot change what you are, Starscream." The 'bot cleared his throat like a human. "Now, where is the girl?"

Starscream stiffened his body, trying to redeem himself. "Dead," he spat harshly into his face. "Thundercracker killed her."

For a moment, he seemed to take the bait, but then the 'bot frowned, somehow disappointed by Starscream's answer. "Here I thought you were to be the best of the best when it came to liars, Starscream," he spoke in that smooth, silky voice. "You did, after all, deceive all of us. You even deceived Megatron, blaming others for trying to over-throw him when it was you all along. But I ask you one simple question and you can't even lie well enough to hide the truth." He applied more force to the seeker, pinning him further against the rugged wall. "Where is she?" he asked again, rougher. The seeker remained quiet, bidding his time like a patient snake. Ironhide snorted, taking again his hand near the seeker's abdomen to transform his arm into a canon.

That was his fatal mistake.

Starscream kicked out with precise calculations. The sharp claws on the end of his foots sliced through his enemy's armor with little difficulty. Ironhide hissed, releasing his death grip on Starscream. The seeker knocked the mech to the ground; the pines shook from the massive weight. With a second and third kick, he crushed the mech's flailing arms. The canons fell off his forearms, exploding in a ball of fire as they collided with the ground. The light was white, bright like a newborn sun. The seeker flinched as he stumbled backwards. He held his left arm over his face. Starscream's hiss of pain was unheard from the sound of his metal skin burning and melting along the edges.

A shadowy figure stood in the light, directly in front of the seeker. Faint, dead blue optics stared at him. The mech stepped forward and became more defined. The aerial 'bot reached forward with black hands. The blunt fingers wrapped around the seeker's arms as he brought him close. The black giant's body engulfed the seeker's own, providing protection against the heat. Starscream stayed beneath the behemoth; he was more than willingly to let someone else take the brunt of the heat for him. "You're killing yourself everyone, and everything around you," he whispered. "This violence needs to stop. There is a way to end this war without violence. There is a way to unite us and bring us back together. A house divided cannot stand, let alone protect itself." Skyfire tightened his grip on the seeker, afraid to let him go. "You can come with me. You've done what you needed to do. Come home, Starscream."

"I haven't completed what I needed to do," the seeker sneered. He tried to pull away, but Skyfire's arms held him tightly in place. "Cybertron still needs me."

"No it doesn't," Jetfire argued; an angry tone coated the words. "You aren't meant to bring Cybertron back. With Megatron dead and Optimus soon to follow, there will be others wiser than you or Megatron or Optimus that will bring our world together. You fulfilled your purpose. Shockwave knows about the Allspark and how to bring it back—"

"I will not allow him to take credit for my work!" Starscream growled viciously like a dog. "He is nothing more than a high ranking pawn to Megatron."

"He will not get credit for it," Jetfire assured. "Shockwave's time is coming to a close. It will be another decepticon who uses this knowledge to create young ones. It will be these new young ones that bring us together. I have seen it, brother. These young ones will bring us back together. There is a prime among them. He will take the autobots' leader and the decepticons' leader to a sacred place in the heart of Cybertron. There all the lies the autobots and decepticons have created will be erased. These leaders will finally see the truth. From that truth they will realize they both want the same fate for Cybertron, so they will unite us. Please, brother! Listen to me!" Jetfire stared intently at the 'con, his faint blue eyes shinning brighter than ever. There was desperation to make him understand and pure, elated joy that he had seen the future of Cybertron.

Starscream's body relaxed. He remained standing only because the 'bot support his weight. The mech twisted his head around to see a tiny, black hole many lifetimes away from him. He knew then, that black hole was the universe. All his problems were back there, too far away to ever bother him again. Then he tried to look forward, but Skyfire blocked the way. What lied behind the ebon' mech was a new frontier to be conquer, yet if he left the universe, then he was retreating, giving up. A sour taste built up in his systems. The seeker's optics darkened to a murky, bloody maroon. "I won't be known as a failure!" Starscream spat in his face. "I refuse to be a footnote in the history books! I am Starscream! Air Commander—king of the fucking skies—and Lord of the decepticons and Cybertron! I am the savior of our planet!"

With his spark pulsing fury, he pulled himself out of Jetfire's grasps. The larger mech face went from angry persuasion to despair, pain, and exhaustion. "Is it not enough that I died for this pitiful war, brother?" he inquired. "No less by you're doing either."

Starscream wanted to turn his back to the mech for that was all Jetfire deserved, but there was that paranoia in his processors. The seeker himself knew what he would do if mech showed his back to him; though, he doubted Jetfire would have the gal to do such a conniving act, the 'con would take any chances when he was in unknown territory. "Optimus was the one who killed you!" Starscream yelled. "He and Megatron are the ones killing us! Why do you think I risked so much, Skyfire? Did you actually believe I enjoyed my beatings from Megatron, being humiliated in front of my subordinates? I made sacrifices to do what is necessary." The seeker paused. He looked at Jetfire. A mixture of hate and sadness swam behind his optics. "You just happened to become one of those sacrifices."

Jetfire was either appalled or in mourning by the statement. He glanced at his feet, trying to pull himself together. He opened his mouth several times but each time he closed it. Slowly he lifted his head. The mech exhaled a deep breath as he closed his optics. "I thought of you as my brother, Starscream. I did not realize I was a convenience for you and nothing else."

"Convenience?" Starscream choked on the word. "You were the one who killed me! You made the choice right then and there to terminate our brotherly bond, Jetfire." The black mech stood quietly. "As far as I am concerned, this whole mess is your fault, from the attack on Diego Garcia to Annabelle! You have only yourself to blame for your failures, Skyfire. Even Chromia's death is your failure. Had you waited for me to come with you on the mission, I would not have chosen the path that I did. If you had waited, I could have ended this war before it came to this. So why don't you accept your own share in this mess, Skyfire?"

There was a long silence between them. It was the physical reminder of the divide that had grown too large between them to ever be bridged. "Why don't you go ahead and turn your back on me, Starscream," he whispered. "I'm not like you."

"No, you are a fool like fool Optimus," Starscream chided. He turned his back to the mech, treading slowly towards the black hole.

"But Annabelle is like you," Jetfire informed. "I would not turn my back to her."

"I control, Anna," he replied smoothly. "I have her little, fleshy mind inside my hands."

"Do you?" he inquired. "Or is she lying to you like she has lied so many times before, Starscream?" The seeker stopped in his tracks. "She will lead you down a path that you cannot come back from. She is a dead end, Starscream. She will be the death of you like she has been to the autobots."

He grinned slyly, stifling a chuckle. "I always come back," he sneered. "It's in my spark." He pressed a hand to his cockpit, his fingers curling possessively around the amber glass. "It's the reason why I always live through the very worst. It's the same reason Megatron kept me around. I seemed to survive everything he could throw, and he wanted to see me die once and for all. But I don't die. I can't. I'm too important for something as common as that."

"No one is above death, Starscream," Jetfire stated bluntly. "Everyone has to die."

"No, I don't," Starscream answered. He spun around on his heels; a wicked smile was plastered to his metal face. "I am above death. I am a god, Skyfire! Not even Primus himself could kill me!" He held out his arms in a vulnerable position, just tempting the god to smite him. "I am immortal, Skyfire. It's the reason why I am willingly to risk using this human to restore Cybertron. Even if she fails me, I will still have time to become Lord and High Protector of Cybertron. No matter what she does, she can never kill me. She may lie and ruin my plans, but that filthy human will not win the race. No one but me will win the race, fool!"

"That cannot be, Starscream," Jetfire stated. "I have seen the future, and very clearly you are not part of it. And neither is Annabelle for the matter."

"Perhaps I've chosen not to rule Cybertron," Starscream responded coolly. "Maybe I have chosen to rule Earth. It has much potential. If the insects submit to me, I could lead them and those on Earth into a new age of science, peace, and—"

"Tyranny," he cut short.

"What?" Starscream asked, more out of shock than any other emotion.

"You will bring only tyranny," Jetfire repeated. He looked hard at his brother. "You don't know how to treat someone other than dominating them. Most autobots and decepticons believe you are like that because Megatron has corrupted you, but that isn't the case. You were like that before the war. Megatron has only been a catalyst, much like you've been a catalyst to Annabelle. Maybe after a few vorns of being with her, you'll understand why so many will never come to respect you."

"Respect?" Starscream asked rhetorically. He chuckled, trying to contain his laughter. "You believe this to be about respect? Here I thought you were a bright bulb, Skyfire, but apparently you're nothing more than the average commoner. This is not about respect but Cybertron! Our species is dying, and I will keep our species alive at all costs, even if it means implementing this "tyranny," Skyfire." He resumed his strut towards the universe. As he walked, he could hear his brother desperately shouting out his name. The seeker picked up the pace.

"STARSCREAM!"

The seeker, having enough of this annoyance, turned around. The moment he opened his optics, he felt reality sinking into his circuits. His soft circuits sizzled like oil on a hot pan. The metal plating that was meant to protect him acted more like a coffin. The armor had become bent and reformed from the explosion to act like a prison. The metal would creak, threatening to totally collapse. His only saving grace was his pressure systems that supplied him with feeling was offline. He felt the power to his optics beginning to fade and casted a dark glow on the world before fading to complete darkness.

"Starscream!" The voice was distinctly Skywarp's by the chronic drunken tone of his voice. The mech slurred his words like someone who was intoxicated. The seeker's burning, violet optics seemed brighter than usual, but even the brightness of his brother's optics couldn't keep Starscream's attention. The tan seeker's head began to roll back, his optics dulling. "Hey, you li'l fucker!" Skywarp's blunt hand jerked on his collar, forcing Starscream awake. "You fucking stay awake or I will fucking rip off your fucking wing!" Starscream was able to focus on the words for a moment before his systems began to lull him back into an unconscious state. "Fuck," breathed the decepticon. "Thundercracker! Starscream won't fucking cooperate!"

"Don't crowd him, 'Warp," Thundercracker chided like a schoolteacher. The mech strolled out of his corner of the hanger towards the makeshift medical bay they had created. Even with the higher roof, Thundercracker had to be hunched over to move about without his wings scratching the cream ceiling. "You don't want to send him back into stasis lock." He pushed his bond-mate away, not without receiving a mumbled complaint. Casually he looked towards his trine leader. "You gave me a scare there, Screamer," he said. "I told you I don't like playing dictator."

The tan seeker only registered sixty-four percent of what the blue mech was saying. He could only muster enough coherency to ask, "Where's my human?"

Thundercracker hesitated to answer, but Skywarp seemed oblivious to the logic his mate was using. "That fucking thing is dead, Screamer. The fuck named Barricade found her fucking body, or should I say her fucking ashes in the woods. The fucker died immediately from the fucking explosion." He immediately sat up, against the warnings flashing on his scans. Something inside Starscream dropped to the bottom of his spark chamber with a heavy _thud_. "Don't worry though, Screamer. Barricade was fucking able to save the fucking brain. That's all the fuck that matters."

The seeker looked down at his feet. His claws curled angrily around the edges of the berth and created sharp cracks in the metal. "Mirage. He killed my human," he whispered in a forebodingly calm voice. His deep maroon, energy-deprived optics flared towards his brothers. His breathing became heavy and fast as it fed the fire hungrily burning inside his chest. "Where is he?" Starscream snarled like a rabid wolf.

Thundercracker stepped in before his bond-mate could add more stress to the situation. "Mirage's coordinates are unknown. The chances he survived the explosion are little; I assume he died in the explosion. Even if he were alive, milord, he would be in critical condition. The attack on Diego Garcia went according to plan. The Iranians, Japanese, and Russians were able to disable the autobot forces and take them captive. They are currently undergoing experimentation."

"Earth is vulnerable."

The words that flowed through the air were sickly sweet, sharply bitter, and spoken by a foreign voice. Starscream twisted his head in the direction of the sharp click of metal against the cold floor. In the artificial light, the femme's obsidian, matt paint job glimmered because of the condensation along her metal armor. She was lithe and flexible, only sporting armor where in the critical places; however, what armor there was curved, compact, and smooth. Only her chest supported a few extras, like headlights on top of her shoulders and cooling vents along her abdomen. It seemed odd her curved body didn't have the sharp edges of her alt. form. Such traits were generally reserved for triple changers, which raised the question. More noticeable than that was her weight. Without a doubt the nineteen feet femme was ground bound with her spade-wide feet like a tree frog, short thighs, long caves, arms that came only to her mid thighs, and general more human build. Unlike some femmes, there was no doubting her gender. She had broad shoulders, an anorexic waist, and nonexistent hips. If she stood to the side, she would no doubt seem almost nonexistent.

The femme's steel gray face was striking. Much like her words and body, it was sharp and angular. She had a smooth forehead piece that angled up to a horn. A series of curved plates followed after it in a linear line, exponentially getting smaller as they came closer to the neck. From the top of her optic ridge to the back of her skull was another series of raised, curved plates. They seemed to bristle with her every movement and emotion. The only "soft" part of her face was the rounded, golden beak for a mouth, but even that feature had a falcon's edge to it. She had unusually large, deep carmine pink optics. They were lively like the fiery sun, occasionally flaring up to a brighter shade of pink.

She had obviously chosen an alt. mode for across her left chest plates were the white words NASA; below the words was the searing violet insignia of the decepticons. White glyphs marked the right side of her face and traveled down the same arm. They conveyed her strength, endurance, and power. If she had enough gal to blatantly boast about her talents, then the femme was overly confident and stupid or a true threat. The way she sauntered towards him, he assumed the latter.

"Don't give me _that_ look, Twenty-two," she scorned. "Don't tell me you forgot about your bond-mate." He could feel gravity slowly opening his mouth. With such ease and grace, the femme was able to move passed Thundercracker without having him move. She placed a black hand on his thigh, moving ever closer to his face. "Slipstream, you bastard."

Starscream's mind scrambled to understand the coherency of what was happening. The heavy thud in his spark seemed to float upwards at how he addressed her like his Anna. The smug smirk that was playing in her eyes could only belong to one insanely annoying human. "Slipstream," he breathed, more of a question than a statement. The mech brought a hand to her face, careful to mind the edges. She gave him a subtle nod that he only he would notice. The panic he had felt coursing through his systems moments earlier turned to elated joy and satisfaction. "Who are you to call me a bastard? Last time I checked, you weren't any better than a politician." His voice was sharp, challenging her insult.

Without warning, she slapped him with the back of her hand. With a snort, she backed away. "I'm glad to see you too," she replied flatly. Crossing her arms, Slipstream analyzed the seeker, ignoring his glower. "You and Scalpel did a good job repairing him, Thundercracker. Too bad you couldn't have fixed his face. It's killing my optics."

"What's wrong with my face?" Starscream growled.

"Nothing," Thundercracker answered quickly. "She's just baiting you." He gave a rude glance to the femme, but it didn't faze her. Not that he expected his brother's scolding to faze her. Slipstream was much too above him to be concerned about Thundercracker's warnings. His brother hadn't yet discovered the extent of her superiority. The blue mech's eyes slid towards the femme. He was all too used to being ignored to let it ruffle his feathers. "Your bond-mate arrived around five weeks ago," he informed, not sounding convinced that this new comer was his trine leader's bond-mate.

"So you did get my message," Starscream stated quickly to dispel Thundercracker's doubts. "I'm surprised you're here so soon, Slipstream."

She chuckled, mocking him. "Soon? It's taken me several months to get here, Twenty-two," Slipstream corrected. "It's fall here, heading into winter." As if she knew what he was going to ask, she continued to talk at a steady, fast pace. "You were caught in an explosion. One of Mirage's systems had a glitch that caused a catastrophic explosion. When your counterparts found you, you were a metal mess. Your armor had to be totally replaced." She lightly knocked on his thigh. "Hence the lack of insignias, Twenty-two." She made sure to pronounce the last word with an acidic tone. "They had to do an overhaul of most of your systems. You were lucky your cowardice saved your ass again." The femme smirked as she saw him clenched his jaw. "Then energon levels had been incredibly low. We've been able to save just enough to get you online. You're a real energy hog. You know that?"

"And you're any less of an energy hog?" he sneered. "You're high maintenance yourself, Slipstream." The seeker, tired of feeling crowded, placed his feet on the floor. Thundercracker moved in to stop his brother, but that sly femme moved in front of the blue mech before he could stop Starscream. Starscream surprisingly stood erect and stable. His brother appeared to be shocked while Slipstream merely frowned. He took hold of the moment to survey the small air hanger, but he didn't find much of interest. "Where's Skywarp?" he inquired bitterly.

The growl came from Slipstream. "I swear if he's flying, I'm going to rip off both of his wings," she promised underneath her breath. The flexible horns along her head seemed to bristle with irritation and hostility. Clearly she and Thundercracker's bond-mate did not get along well. She slithered quickly towards the door. Only Thundercracker's firm hand on her shoulder stopped her from opening the door.

"Stop your fretting," he scolded. "Skywarp wouldn't be so stupid to fly." Slipstream rolled her eyes while muttering something beneath her breath. "I'll find him. You take care of Screamer." Starscream was surprised that it was more of a request than order, but maybe his brother thought if better if he and she were separated than being together. "I'll be back," he muttered. Thundercracker opened the door, but to his brother's surprise, no light rained into the compound.

It was several moments after Thundercracker had left before Starscream looked towards Slipstream. He was unsure of what to make of the incoherency of his thoughts and emotions. She was most definitely his Anna, but seeing her as one of his kind was a delight and disappointment. He was unsure why he was happy to see her alive and doing well, but he was. He felt more secure that he had had someone to look over his back while undergoing repair but … "Anna," he whispered. It was question, a desire to know that underneath the metal body she was still human. The femme stood still for a moment before walking towards him. She only stopped when she was directly in front of him and within his reach.

While from the table she had appeared smaller, standing in front of her put in perspective how smaller she was. He towered over twelve feet above her, and his thick, wide chest only made her seem that much smaller. Starscream could easily crush her in his hands because of her fragile form. It was comforting to know she was still fragile like her human form, but he was still disappointed as he touched her face. The seeker yearned to touch her hot flesh instead of the cold, hard metal. It wasn't she was unpleasant to look at, but this form seemed too inferior for his human. It couldn't convey all the emotions she so proudly displayed as a human. The optics were an injustice to her eyes. The body simply felt wrong underneath his hand. He wanted to feel the pulse of her blood, not the static his body created against hers, or the pull her magnetic and energy fields forced on his.

She reached up to place a hand on his cockpit. "Now we're equal," Slipstream said. He couldn't hide the scowl on his face from her analytical optics. His fingers trailed down her body, getting a feel for this new form. "Barricade and Scalpel did a good job," she spoke. "They didn't leave anything out when they designed it. It's perfect for me."

As if none of what she said registered in his audio sensors, he asked, "Where are you?" Slipstream used both of her hands to guide his wandering fingers to her chest plates. She kept her fingers curled around his hand possessively. "Right there." The femme nodded. There was a small comfort that her body was only buried behind a few inches of protective armor. At least she'd be safer there from everything the universe could through at her. "How?"

"Scalpel described it as a womb. I get all the nutrients I need. I can virtually stay in here as long as I want," she explained. "They were pretty easily able to sync my brain with the body. They inserted some metal things into my head and boom! It's like what they've been able to do with blind people. They are able to connect certain parts of the brain to operate certain parts of the body, like sight, smell, hearing, touch." She squeezed his hand harder to emphasize the last sense. "The only thing they weren't able to sync was taste," she added on with a flatter tone. "It's a real bitch, you know, when those cravings to hit you and you can't satisfy it. Can't say it's help to improve my attitude."

It was _that_ tone of her voice and how she complained about having to sacrifice one of her puny senses that reassured him she was still his human. "Always _so_ demanding," Starscream murmured. It was less of an insult than a playful taunt.

"I just know what I want," Slipstream retorted with a smug smile. She moved closer, brushing his hand away. She gently pushed on chest. He understood the silent command to sit back on the table. The femme crawled beside him and sat on his lap like she had when she was human. "You being awake is proof of that. The others wanted to wait to awake you until we got to the Nemesis, but I wouldn't have it. You're a real bitch to leave with, but a bigger bitch to live without, Twenty-two." She rested comfortably against his chest. Slipstream seemed as comfortably as ever in her new skin as she was in her human skin. "These metal heads aren't even half as smart as you, and you're stupid to begin with," she added.

"I thought you hated me, Anna," Starscream stated. He brought his hand to her head, gently raking his claws through her horns. "If I'm hearing correctly, then you _need_ me?"

She couldn't help but laugh aloud. "It's bad enough you flatter yourself, but stroking your ego? That's pathetic, even for you, Twenty-two," Slipstream replied hastily. "Not even Skywarp is that pathetic. No, I don't need you. I simply _wanted_ to treat myself to something special for my seventeenth birthday."

"Your birthday?" he questioned. The seeker leaned over her to listen to her answer.

"Yeah, it was yesterday," Slipstream spoke, not sounding too disappointed. She looked up at him with a meager smile. "It's been pretty disappointing until now. I'm still a little let down. You aren't nearly as sharp as you usually are. I hope it's a temporary effect because I'd hate to be surrounded by yet another Skywarp. Honestly, I can see why you'd want to replaced Thundercracker as your second-in-command. He can't even beat me at a game of chess. That says a lot right there. It's no wonder your ego is so inflated. You've been surrounded by mentally impaired airheads."

"I think you need to be humbled, Anna," he answered sourly. "You aren't nearly as smart as what you proclaim to be. You don't have all the answers—"

"I _never_ proclaimed to know everything, Twenty-two," she spat. "I only proclaimed to know more than you. Don't go putting words in my mouth I haven't said." She buried herself further into his cool chest, savoring the feeling of being engulfed by the powerful seeker. "At least I can download all the music I ever wanted," The femme deliberately changed subjects. "She said he's so sweet! I wanna lick the wrapper!" Slipstream sang in an off key.

The seeker dramatically rolled his eyes. "I suppose you listen to that noise?" he spoke aloud. "Those humans ruin the music by adding lyrics to the music. Proper music should be able to explain itself without pathetic humans to explain."

"You're just jealous because you can't sing that well," Anna countered. "Quite frankly, the lyrics are just spelling out what the song means. Sometimes its nice to not have to dig for the answers, Twenty-two."

"You're just weak," Starscream insulted.

"No, just tired," Slipstream responded quickly. She shut her optics while taking a deep breath. "It's been hectic around here. I haven't had any time to myself since the explosion. It's just been one thing after another for the pass couple of months. I feel like an insomniac. I was hoping to get some peace and quiet for my birthday but … Well, we know things never go how we want them to, Twenty-two."

"I'm here," he sneered. "That should be enough."

"It'll never be enough," Anna protested. "As much as I want you to, you're simply too hardened to be spread over all the empty holes and rough—"

"You're baiting me again," he accused. Anna tried to move out of his grasp, but the seeker held her firmly in place with one hand. "What are you wanting, Anna?"

"Let me go, and I'll show you," Slipstream answered. Starscream rightfully hesitated before loosening his possessive hold over her. She stood up on the table, eye-to-eye with him. "I won't hurt you," she promised underneath her breath. "I've been wanting to do for quite some time." The femme's hand was as gentle on his face her words were to his audio sensors. Her fingers traced the edges of his face. She was hesitant in her actions, afraid that she would break him with her new strength. Despite the restraint she showed, the seeker's defense systems flashed a warning sign across his scans. She could feel his systems tense beneath her fingers as she touched his vulnerable neck cables. From the side of her optics, she could see him clenching his hands. When she looked to his optics, there was no mistaking the frustration flickering behind his optics. It was a small ember ready to burst into a wildfire.

In a very human fashion, she made a motion that was similar to nervously licking her lips. "Ignore the warnings like you would in battle," she asked; however, she made it sound like an order. "Trust me. This is suppose to be pleasurable; give you a gentle high."

"How do you know this?" Starscream inquired; his voice was huskier, just on the edge of turning angry.

"I've picked up a few things from Skywarp," she replied innocently. "The dumb ones always seem to find someway of getting high." Slipstream placed a warm hand to his cool wings. Starscream's hand instinctively shot around her chest. A cold shiver of adrenaline ran through her systems as she saw the animal look on his face; her own warning systems were murmuring to run away, hide in the rain forest outside the compound. A drip of fear soaked her face as his optics burned white. "You always wanted me to trust you. I trust you. I wouldn't do this with anyone else. I'm asking you to trust me, Twenty-two. Can you do that?" she asked.

This was much more than the simple question she had constructed. He could see it in her eyes. What she asked was something much more. The answer was already chosen for him; she'd already trap him with the story he assumed she had fabricated about being his bond-mate. However, that was only publicly; even then, most likely only Thundercracker and Skywarp knew. "Why be so subtle?" Starscream inquired.

She squirmed uncomfortably in his grip, doing her best to keep her instincts under control. "I thought you didn't like having things spelled out, Twenty-two," Slipstream answered frankly.

"You're being impulsive," he stated.

"And you're avoiding the question."

He loosened his grip but kept his fingers curled around her waist. Using his thumb, he stroked her back like he had when she didn't hide behind a metal mask. "I guess you can't be blamed. You're only human after all," Starscream spoke. "You may look like one of us on the outside, but you'll always be human on the inside. We'll never be equal. You'll _always_ be my inferior."

She was quiet. Only the small movements of her optics gave away her pondering mind. "You may be stronger, but I've always had the upper hand, Twenty-two," Slipstream whispered. "You don't have to admit it aloud, but you know deep down, I have had you wrapped around my finger since day one." She curled her hands around his collar, grinning sheepishly at him. "Just like how you have me hanging over a pit of magma while I point a gun at you. Both of us are manipulating each other, unable to break away from the sick cycle. We're at a stalemate. Wouldn't you say so, Twenty-two?"

He rolled his eyes as he pulled her closer. "I believe you've lost even more of your mind than before, Anna, if you believe you can control me," Starscream sneered. "You have no influence over me or my actions." The lie he spun sounded so convincing and real, but as always, she, being a pathological liar, could only hear the unconvincing tone; the sound was only louder inside his head.

"Words between us mean so little, Twenty-two," Slipstream answered. "Only actions count between us, so keep on lying. I'll always know where to find the truth." She brought a hand up to his head and ran a finger along the ridge that protected his optics. "It's weird. The autobots have a red symbol yet have blue eyes. One would think they would have eyes to match their symbols, but they don't. Someone's logic went askew there." He was silent. Only the sound of her claws lightly dragging over his face filled the compound. Her optics would flare to a brighter hue when he claws would hit a sharp angle. It occurred to him that she was curious about his physical form as she had been when they first met.

"You aren't a total wreck today," he stated calmly.

She grinned; the edge of her claw drew over his beak. "I've had a few months to calm down and sift through everything. It's amazing what a little bit of piece and quite can do to the mind," she replied. "And it helps when you aren't a wanted fugitive anymore. It helps relieve the stress a little bit." Slipstream turned around, sinking back into his lap. "I haven't been on vacation though. I wasn't lying when I said I feel like an insomniac. You kept me awake."

"I kept you awake?" he asked defensively.

"Of course, you are _my_ leader," Slipstream assured. "Someone has to be watching out for your best interests." She flicked her optics at him. "Not all of us are so blindly traitorous."

"I'm not a traitor," Starscream growled.

"To who though?" she inquired further.

"My species, my faction, my trine," the seeker listed. He bent over as far as he could; Slipstream met him half way by tilting her head in his direction. The last words were on the tip of his vocal processors, but they never made it passed his mouth. He brought a finger to her, gently stroking her throat. Slipstream naturally tensed before forcing herself to remain still. Starscream saw her optics burn white with the warnings her defense systems sent to her mind; to cope with it, she deactivated her optics. His smirk grew. Rarely did such close contact between their species not result in a brutal beating, and the adrenaline of ignoring the warnings was a high. It was all the thrill of the battle without the worry of suffering the damage.

He curiously watched as her fingers itched to rip away his fingers from her throat. The heat profusely radiated from her body. Along her arms he could feel the energy pilling up in her weapons. The low thrumming of her core against his chest made his own systems begin to purr from her submission. The sound they produced was low, too low for any human to hear, but the perfect intensity for them. Only those within the direct vicinity would hear it. Though he should have been concerned if the others heard, Starscream couldn't bring himself to care. He was much too enamored with the idea of his Anna sitting obediently as he toyed and taunted her systems. How was it that she so easily exposed his weakness for the lust of power by putting herself up for bait? Starscream knew better, but each time he seemed to fall back into the trap.

Her systems heated rapidly until her body was the warmer than his. What had started as a gentle purring was now filled with the sound of her engines reacting to the threat. With the single, feathery touch his claw dragging along the seam of her abdomen, Slipstream could take no more. She tore away quicker than he expected and pressed her back to the wall of the compound as her right forearm transformed into a plasma cannon. He gripped the table with one hand while raising his null ray to challenge her threat. Her challenge wasn't intentional. Starscream could see her panting profusely and her white optics seared as brightly as the stars. This was purely instinct, her reaction.

Slipstream looked away, taking a moment to regain control. She looked down at her arm, suddenly aware of what she had been close to doing. The femme quickly transformed her hand back to normal before looking to the seeker with calmer, pinker eyes. "It'll take some time to get over that," she whispered in between her pants. "You can put the null ray down." He did so. She climbed back on the table and reclaimed her seat in between his legs. Starscream could see more clearly how jittery her body was being in his arms' grasp. Coming back to the mech who set you over the edge went against all logical sense, which sent the femme back on the edge.

"We're done for now," he stated. "We wouldn't want an accident and have to explain it to the others. So why don't you tell me why you're running around here with no supervision and spreading lies about being my bond-mate? I'm curious as to why you would paint me as such a weakling." There was an irritated bite to his voice.

"Well, Barricade and Scalpel received your message about building a suit. The two decided the best way to sneak humans onto Cybertron would be to disguise them as your species. Well, let's simply say I was able to prove my loyalty and granted the privilege to have some freedom. I told them how I would be your second-in-command soon and would be able to get them anything if they kept their mouths shut and let me do as I please. Barricade is to be promoted so that he does not have to work with anyone. Scalpel says he wants to have more subjects to experiment on, both human and Cybertronian. He also wants to be promoted to be head of a new scientific division dedicated to finding the most effective ways to torture a mech and human," she explained in a bored tone. "It's a very complicated and boring story. In short though, Barricade has begun to teach me some of the basics of fighting. We get along, he and I. It's nice to have a relationship where you don't talk, just do. I think he just likes to kick my ass too.

But I couldn't just sit around. I wanted to introduce myself to your brothers. I naturally found them and immediately began to ask them where you were; however, they were more concerned about a rogue asking about their leader. They thought I was an autobot until I told them I was your bond-mate, and you had summoned me to reclaim Cybertron. They didn't believe me, saying you had never taken a bond-mate. I naturally disagreed. I told them you had taken me as a bond-mate during your time as an over-seer. Then you wanted to become a scientist, but if your new found peers knew you had bonded to a mindless, half-crazed femme who worked in the mines, well, you might not have been accepted into the scientific program. So you claimed to be bondless while I transferred to a new division of drudgery. We didn't see each other much after that.

When the war finally broke out, you joined the autobots. I didn't trust either Megatron or Optimus Prime, so I left, but not without making a promise. You said you didn't like either Megatron or Prime but was waiting for the right time to take control of a faction and rejoin Cybertron. I promised you I would return when you were in the right position and ready to return Cybertron to her glory. You had tried to summon me after Mission City, but I lost connection with you because I ran into autobots. It wasn't until before the explosion you were able to make contact between us; however, you didn't have the chance to tell your brothers because you didn't want to explain why you were bringing a femme onto the decepticon side. You felt it would be better if they didn't know that you had a bond-mate

They bought it; hook, line, and sinker. It seemed like something you would do since you are all about secrets and deception. I also proved that we had been in tough because I was able to give a full report about what had happened on Earth and knew things that only those close to Starscream could possibly know."

"Do you know how ridiculous that story is?" he insulted.

"Do you know how ridiculous it is the way you deceive people?" Slipstream countered. "Thundercracker made the remark about how much it would be like you to do that."

He narrowed his optics, searching for more to criticize. "It's dangerous to have bond-mates," the seeker objected. "There are reasons why decepticons typically do not have bond-mates. You are viewed as weak and vulnerable."

"Well, I thought it would be better if it were out in the open," she answered. "If they know you have a bond-mate, then they know they not only have a trine to deal with, but they know there will be someone more stupidly loyal willingly to risk her life in order to save her mate and leader. I still have a promise to keep, Twenty-two."

"I know," he responded.

She twisted her head. "You don't know even know what the promise is," she insisted. "You were dead when I said it to you."

His face became stern, painfully pulled. The seeker, in a rare moment, laid back and pulled the femme onto his chest. Starscream felt her body over heating again as he wrapped his arms around her, like she were a plush toy to make all the pain go away. "You don't have to worry about keeping me alive," Starscream whispered. "You're the one that is vulnerable." He closed his optics and took a deep breath. "I'll always live, Annabelle. My spark may be extinguished and seem to be gone, but if you gave me time, like fifty years or so, my spark would come back, little by little. Until my spark full comes back, I just wander around as a ghost. It wasn't pleasant. Being a ghost isn't pleasant. Everything is loud and you feel as if there is something crawling in your skin. For the most part, you are blind. I could see the sparks of my kind, but I didn't see you until you touched the Allspark fragment at the abandoned base. It was only because you touched the fragment I could hear you promise me that you'd never let me die."

Slipstream rolled onto her abdomen, her arms resting comfortably over his cockpit. Her optics were a deep shade of pink, smoldering with ideas and thoughts. "What are saying, Twenty-two?" she inquired; she sounded confused.

"I am immortal," he answered in a serious tone.

"No one is immortal, Twenty-two," she retorted.

"I am," Starscream answered. "And only I can bring back the Allspark. I initially tried to build a new Allspark utilizing the sparks of autobots, but their essence doesn't live long after death. Mine does, and it is my essence that is needed to give the Allspark the longevity it is known for. I don't want to die and just remain a ghost, so I had Shockwave try to clone me in hopes I could create another immortal, but it didn't work Shockwave wanted to use me, but I wouldn't let that happen. I fled Cybertron in hopes to find Samuel. I hope he has the key to rebuild an Allspark without me having to sacrifice my life. My brothers were against me when I came to Earth. I was already weak and physically fighting with Thundercracker over morals and values was too much on my weakened body. I managed to get to that base before going into stasis lock."

"Is this really true?" Slipstream asked solemnly.

"But now I know that Samuel only had a fragment of the knowledge from the Allspark. You, Annabelle, have part of the Allspark knowledge as well, but yours in dormant," he continued.

"Is that the only reason I'm of any value to you?" she inquired, her voice holding a bitter tone.

He raised his head, looking at her with optics deep in thought. Starscream had just told her that she was holding the key to his species, and all she could think about was whether or not that had affected their relationship. How selfish of her to think that way. "If I weren't entertained by you, you would not be here," the mech answered. "I'd already be on Cybertron if it weren't for you."

There was a hint of a smile across her face as she laid her head down on his chest. "Why are you telling me this?" she inquired.

Starscream was quiet for several long moments before speaking, "Go to sleep, Anna. We have a long day ahead of us." He pulled his arms away from her to allow her body to relax. He saw the flash of her optics dimming as she obeyed him. The seeker studied her body, noting the connection between them and statue as they slept. Up close he could see and feel how smooth her armor as. Her armor was composed of a soft metal. In a way, it was the equivalent of having human flesh, soft and easily broken. Very gently he stroked her face and was pleased when she didn't stir. "If only I had killed you, this would have been so much simpler, Anna." He took a deep, stress breath. The seeker stared at her for quite some time, going over what had been said. Between she and Sam, the two's knowledge could perhaps save his race without him having to sacrifice his own life, but going down that road meant realizing a dark truth.

In order to extract the information, Anna would never be the same. If she somehow lived through the ordeal of having the information extracted, then more likely than not she would be severely retarded.

If he went down the other road, then he would be a ghost forever. Who knew what would happen with a new Allspark created? Either the war would end immediately or go on for longer. The destiny of his species would no longer be in his hands; he would be powerless.

His optics fixated on Slipstream. It would be so easy, even know, to simply kill her and take what was needed, but his spark cringed and rebelled at the thought. A deep, searing fire consumed him from the inside and slowly ate away at his circuits. The mech could almost hear something hard and heavy clicking to the bottom of his spark chamber. Starscream continued to stroke the femme's back with the same gently touch he had used on her when she was human. For some odd reason, stroking her seemed to cool the flames in body and take away the heavy feeling in his spark chamber. An even darker thought of losing her on the battlefield brought the same, burning torture to his body. The seeker felt his systems kick in as they attempted to cool down his rapidly heating body. Unlike before where he could calm himself by stroking her, he couldn't because in the second scenario, he had no control over her fate. Starscream rested his hand over her back, careful not to wake her. "In my arms you will be safe, Annabelle," he said. "I can promise you that."


	30. Chapter 30

**_there's a million_****_&one ways_**

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**A/N:** At the end...

**Replies**:

Screamer's just a Screamer- Thank you very much!

Transfan2392- Are they bondmates? That's the great mystery.

Spottedstar5158- I love writing details into the story. That's also my flaw since I get hung up on the small details, but only because that's where the symbolism lies within this story.

AutobotTwinsMudflap- I don't think the world could handle an offspring from these two! I'm being serious. That kid would be royally fucked up. I'm putting that nicely.

Xade- I did! Kind've...

**Pairings:** Annabelle Lennox w/ Starscream vs. Annabelle Lennox w/ Ironhide

**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers © Hasbro.

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He knew only to walk. The mech didn't know how far, but he knew to keep walking, keep making footsteps in the soft sand until he climbed back up to the surface. A faint blue light from his optics alit the darkness, exposing light to a place that hadn't felt the sun's warmth or joy in thousands of years. Ironhide's warm body seemed to attract the school of flashing fish in the dark depths. These schools periodically swarmed him like flies on a horse. Some pecked away at the starfish clinging to his metal, others tried to see if he edible. Ironhide curiously shooed them away, wondering what kind of world he had been abandoned in. Surely someone knew he was here, but what was here?

Here was Earth. Earth had humans, who had a well-developed civilization, society, and culture. Yes, he knew that much, but when he probed further into their databases, all the mech found was of no help to him. There were no traces of his species on this planet. He wondered if he were the only one of his species here. If so, how did he get here? Why was he here to begin with? And for Primus' sake, why the hell did he feel unwelcomed? Each step felt as if he were moving closer and closer to something evil, something that yearned to destroy him. Every fiber in his circuits told the soldier to run, retreat from this planet, but there was another force, a haunting presence that pulled at the strings on his limbs and commanded him forward. For all his worry about what lurked on the surface, he was convinced his answers would be found there.

Perhaps these humans had the answers he yearned for, or perhaps they had been the unknown force to threaten Cybertron. The second scenario would explain a lot, considering his only memory consisted of staring into one of those alien ships before being blasted offline. If that were the case, then he was most certainly an enemy of this world. He snorted at the thought of being prisoner on this world; rather, he was disgusted at the idea of losing a battle and dragged to some unknown planet. The mech's near perfect, military resume would be tarnished by this little skirmish. Perhaps not though, he pondered. If he were here, at the bottom of this watery hellhole, then maybe these humans didn't know he was here. Perhaps Cybertron's defense thought him dead. Maybe there would be a way to keep his resume halfway decent.

A wave of energy swept through his body. He lifted his head towards the sky. Though he couldn't see the surface, he could feel the presence of another, his species, lurking. Whoever this was, they were protecting their spark signature and raised only more questions. The soldier's weapons trailed down his arms, creating bubbles as the heat in the weapons evaporated the water. A great pulse of water had him stumbling forward, grasping for balance. The signature was stronger than ever and just feet away from him. He kicked up loose sand as he spun around to meet the rude intruder.

The mech stood in the water, his deep black hide easily blending in with the lack of light. Between their headlights, they were sufficiently able to alight the area and expose Barricade. Beating, bleeding red optics stared Ironhide and mulled over some darker ideas for a moment before stepping back. The mech kept one arm behind him, the other in front, a classic stance that allowed one to either flee or attack. Without thinking, Ironhide raised his weapons to the stranger. Immediately Barricade stepped forward and relaxed. "I'm not here to have a go around with you, General Ironhide," the scout informed. "I came to fulfill my part of the bargain."

Now he felt as if he had been dropped into an alternate world where everything was turned around into a new, more complicated maze. Ironhide's mind scrambled to match this mech, but his memory chip repeatedly claimed to have no match for Barricade. "What is it you're fulfilling?" Ironhide questioned. The general was stepping lightly, not trying to giveaway the fact he had no idea what this mech was talking about. Though Ironhide was used to having complicated, scholarly words thrown at him, he had never felt completely lost or out of place.

"I have what you asked for, General," he answered bluntly. He cracked open his chest and plucked out a small spark chamber. Dark engravings from the spark burning gave the chambers its own unique design. With his other free hand, Barricade reached around to his back. When he brought the shape forward, Ironhide stepped back. The sight of a dead protoform froze his circuits and paralyzed his soul. Protoforms were perhaps one of the few holy artifacts that bore more meaning than one's own bond-mate. Seeing one, cold, frozen in time with an empty hole in its chest caused his circuits to flare and scream to flee. "All you have to do is figure out how to bring her back," he added. The scout laid the artifacts gingerly on the soft floor.

He could not peel his eyes away from the sight of protoform. "And," he began hesitatingly, "What do you want? I cannot offer you much in the way of services without jeopardizing my career and integrity. Surely, you understand that?"

"Oh yes, I do know, Ironhide," he addressed. "At the moment, I do not need your services. I do need you to stay alive and keep your optics open. There is a great traitor among us, and that traitor needs to be eliminated before they destroy everything that is Cybertronian; at this same time, there is a prime among us. Where this prime is, I have no idea. Now, you being you, I expect that you would have no problems finding the bloke since you are a good judge of character. That will be it, Ironhide." Barricade precisely turned around and began heading towards a mountain ridge at second the last word left his mouth.

Ironhide, still confused, quickly gathered the protoform. He stared at the poor shell, feeling a deep pang spread through his spark. With an unnatural gentleness in his touch, the soldier securely placed the protoform near his spark chamber. Then he neatly tucked the delicate spark chamber in the same secure pocket. When he looked up to find Barricade, he only saw an empty space spread out before him.

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"What the fuck do you mean I cannot fly?" Starscream bellowed with fierce hiss behind each word. "I am a seeker! I am meant to fly!" He flung out his arms wildly to extenuate his point. "We are superior to them, Thundercracker! They should be the ones grounded, not us!" He snarled as pushed his way into the nearest building; though, the building was the last place he wished to go. No, he wanted to get away from the cramped space and be free to claim the skies as his own, untouchable kingdom; yet, according to his brother, his kingdom was so untouchable that not even Starscream himself could reach up to touch the clouds without alerting the world of their location. He swore he felt like a noose slowly being pulled tighter around his vital energon lines to his spark.

"Then you can go on another suicide mission, Screamer," his brother answered in an unusually testy tone. "For being our leader, you sure aren't prepared to make sacrifices to better our cause. If you were not so impatient, then you nor I would be in this position to begin, but no, you always have to have things _now_!" Thundercracker slammed his fist into the beige wall, making a dent. "It is not always about you, Screamer. I would thunk having a bond-mate would have taught you that, but I guess I am wrong. It's no wonder she is gone most days with Barricade." He stalked closer to his brother, nearly breathing down the back of Starscream.

"Slipstream is busy being productive," Starscream countered as he slammed his fist around to slap his comrade in the lower mouth. The loud snap of metal on metal stirred the birds on top of the roof and sent them scattering away in a talkative state. "If you were not so enamored with the idea of keeping your best loyalties to Skywarp and not our cause, then perhaps I would not have replaced you as second-in-command with Slipstream." He pushed his brother backwards, towards the sunlight that came in from the door and lit up the otherwise dark warehouse. "You need to learn your place, Thundercracker, because you are over stepping your set boundaries."

"Go to hell," Thundercracker sneered.

"Been there already no thanks to you," Starscream reminded bitterly.

"What the hell is going on here?" The sound of a stern, sickly sweet feminine voice stirred the mechs' attentions. Slipstream stood in the doorway with the rays of the light streaming fluidly over her body and conveying her as something heavenly, but her ebon' hues with pink eyes offered a very contrasting, demonic twist to her angelic appearance.

Before she could even react, Thundercracker unleashed a swift kick to the femme. She slid into the opposite building. The shattered glass rained over her and ricocheted off her body as the pieces sadly made their way to the soggy, naked ground. She barely glanced up before his foot was planted on her chest. She gasped as she felt the pressure both on her metallic body and flesh body increase exponentially. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he shouted in her face as he reached down for her scrawny neck.

A series of soft clicks stopped Thundercracker from lifting the femme off the ground. "She is your second-in-command, Thundercracker. She is the bond-mate to your leader. She will become your sister if you do not lower your weapons," Starscream roared. He pressed the tip of his nullray to the middle of his brother's back, not holding back any of the heat from his charge weapon. The edges from where the weapon touched his brother's metal began to smolder and churn black. "She is more important than you, Thundercracker. She has the information we need to succeed this time. She has not failed me as _you_ and _your_ bond-mate have in the past."

"But I never left you for dead either," Thundercracker replied in a cool tone. "I have been beside you, doing what was necessary to keep you alive, brother. This femme who you have not seen since your young years outranks me? I feel insulted that you would allow someone with no military or warfare experience to replace your brother." Thundercracker calmly stepped away from her, keeping his back turned to Starscream. "Slipstream, my fight is not with you. I hope that is clear. Rather, I had to use you to prove a point."

"Point being?" Starscream questioned viciously as he moved in between Thundercracker and Slipstream. He was aware of her slowly rising up from the glass to stand behind him.

"You are even more irrational with her here," he answered neutrally. The mech turned his head around, nodding what seemed to be an apology to the femme. "I am just uncertain whether you can handle both protecting your bond-mate without jeopardizing _our_ species, brother. The needs of _our _species outweigh _your_ own personal needs. I hope you keep that in mind." Thundercracker gave one last, glower towards his brother before ducking into the thicket of trees.

Starscream stood there until his brother's heat signature was unreadable.

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**Dear Fans of _There's a Million&One Ways_,**

I am sorry for not updating this. It has been over half a year since I last updated. In these eight or nine months since I last updated, I have been very busy with school. I just finished up my senior year of high school and have since applied to college—I'm actually off to orientation tomorrow. I'm now one step closer to my dream of becoming a bio-physicist!

With that said, I highly doubt that I will ever finish this story. It is not because I do not love it, but I simply do not have the time to give it the love and attention it needs. The fact that there are people who still e-mail, fav this story, put it under their alerts, or write reviews is a wonderful feeling! I am truly sorry to say this. However, there is a silver lining.

This story really is tribute to how far I've come as a writer and how to develop plots. This story has also inspired me to continue writing. As a result of this story, I do plan on publishing a book one day _We Are Preparing for the Afterlife_. The name was generously given to me by my real life friend and fan fiction writer Alterik. This new story is very similar to _There's a Million&One Ways_ in terms of the twists, deception, and snarky attitude. Of course, as tribute this fanfiction story, one of the character's nickname is "22." So if any of you ever come across a book called this and find a character named "22," then you'll be able to tell your friends a little fact that no one but besides you and those who have read this will know.

Thank you for your support, love, and admiration. Of course, enjoy your summer!


	31. Chapter 31

_**there's a million**__**&**__**one ways**_

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**A/N:** Well, it has been a wonderful summer, and now I am in college enjoying myself. Surprisingly I have quite a bit of time on my hands. A lot more than what I originally thought I would have. Then again, my friends said the first two years of college are the easiest. While I am working on a THOR fiction, I have the spark to reboot this fiction. I really, really want to finish this story since I felt there was so much to have been explored the chapters I did post and so much more ahead of them. Especially after seeing TF3, I really want to incorporate my new plot bunnies.

I also feel this would be my chance to fix all the errors and OOC-ness of the characters. I love Annabelle to pieces, but she was waaaaaay to young to be that deceitful. Lets face it; Prime would've had her executed for being a traitor, or Simmons would have had her deported at first sign of being unloyal. So yes, many many errors to be fixed.

With that said, I am going to reboot the story; however, do not fall into the trap believing just because I am rebooting the story that it will be anything like this one. I mean, yes, the pairing is there, but under different scenarios. None of the twists used here will be used again in the new story. I am trying to be careful with my words and say something to the effect of forgetting everything that has happened in this story. The new story is completely different and remastered, like a Disney movie but better!

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So yes, here is the list of things to be fixed in the new story:

Annabelle will be fixed

Mechs will not be OOC

We know Ironhide lives with the government, not Anna's family

Plot is fixed, no more holes

I will FINISH this story!

Most importantly, the story is only going to be loosely based in the movie and other versse. I say only loosely based because there are certain incarnations of characters that I love. I really want to create my "own" TF universe and redesign how they came to Earth and etc…

So now you see! The new story is actually up now! Go check out for **Our Hundred&One Regrets.**

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own transformers © Hasbro.


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